Dr. Ranya Habash is an ophthalmologist and medical director for technology innovation at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the nation’s number one eye hospital. For more information on telemedicine at Bascom Palmer, call 305-243-2020 or visit the UHealth health news blog.
NEW TOOLS IN TELEMEDICINE
A new age in eye care has arrived at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, the nation’s number one eye hospital at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, where doctors are now treating patients through a variety of virtual visit types, including “hybrid” visits, a combination of virtual and in-person appointments.
“This is super advanced, creative telemedicine,” says Dr. Ranya Habash, ophthalmologist and medical director for technology innovation at Bascom Palmer. “It allows Bascom Palmer specialists to help patients from anywhere in the world.”
Dr. Habash is part of the medical team for 12-year-old Chloe Shapiro. After performing her recent eye surgery, Dr. Habash remotely observed Chloe’s clinic checkup using a video slit lamp that connects to a smartphone.
Through a screen share, multiple doctors and even the patient’s family members can join the appointment. This new approach reduces the number of in-person appointments for the patient, allows doctors from different specialities to seamlessly combine their efforts, and helps mitigate risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In just one sitting, Chloe consulted with two of her doctors, a process that would normally require multiple visits. “That’s why I also like the online appointments, because it’s very useful in that sense,” says Chloe.
Chloe’s case is a good example of how telemedicine can be of great value to patients, says Dr. Habash. “Chloe has really benefited from a wide range of our virtual care offerings. She’s received care during the pandemic in the worst of circumstances, but we’ve been able to pull it off because of new ways of thinking.”
Bascom Palmer has been leading the way in how to navigate unprecedented challenges in the field of eye care during the pandemic. “Everyone was looking to Bascom Palmer to see what we would do,” says Dr. Habash. “We had to think out of the box and make things work so that we could continue to provide care, while also keeping our patients and staff safe.”
Patients like Chloe can also use Bascom Palmer’s wide range of virtual visit types, including Virtual Urgent Care, 2nd Opinion Virtual Consults, Doctor-to-Doctor Virtual Consults, and virtual discussion and counseling visits, all without leaving the comfort of their own homes.
“Telemedicine has been critical for us during difficult times like this, but it’s also an opportunity for us to evolve the practice of medicine,” says Dr. Habash. “We’re finding better, smarter ways to care for patients. I’m really proud of Bascom Palmer for that.”
FOCUSING ON YOU
Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on WPLG Local 10. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.
Above content provided by UHealth, the University of Miami Health System