Telemedicine is Revolutionizing Sexual Health Care
By: Ashka Shah
COVID-19 has upended every aspect of people’s lives, but it has especially upended the way healthcare is delivered in the United States. With in-person doctors visits becoming higher risk, telemedicine has become more popular. And in many ways, this has actually improved access to sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Telehealth has allowed many people to circumvent barriers that would have previously impeded access to in-person care. Being able to access care from home negates the need to find child care and transportation and request paid leave. However, many times it can also be hard for women to access wifi and find private spaces in their homes to consult with health professionals. Also, it has created problems with privacy and HIPAA. Since many medical facilities use third party video calling services to interact with patients, the companies could use the information for marketing purposes, violating HIPAA. To increase access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020 the HHS Office for Civil Rights announced that penalties for HIPAA violations would be relaxed.
Telehealth has also helped to increase access to abortion, especially in rural communities. A district court decision by Judge Theodore Chuang temporarily suspended the provision requiring an in-person visit prior to receiving the pill. Because of the pandemic, the court ruled that the FDA requirement of in-person visits during the pandemic imposed a “substantial obstacle” to abortion health care that is likely unconstitutional. This was later upheld by a federal court. Now, providers can mail the pill after a telemedicine call. Dr. Eva Chalas, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says that this court order “represents a victory for patients, who should not have to face the additional burden of increased COVID-19 exposure as a condition of receiving their prescribed mifepristone”. This ruling remains valid for 30 days after the end of the federal government’s declared public health emergency for COVID-19.
Because of this ruling, various startup companies, such as Just the Pill and Choix, have become fully virtual abortion clinics that help women perform an abortion in the safety of their own homes using prescribed pills. Just the Pill also provides birth control and treatment for sexual infections, and was originally created to serve people in rural Minnesota that lacked access to in-person facilities, as most in-person facilities are located in urban areas. Virtual clinics have also helped people who live in areas without adequate health care to avoid having to travel long distances to access higher quality care. And the added perk of its privacy allows women to avoid walking through crowds of protestors.
Telehealth is revolutionizing how Americans receive care. It is improving access to sexual health resources and creating a more convenient system for many. At least one good thing has come out of this pandemic: the forced transition to telemedicine has allowed it to become more normalized. Hopefully, it will have long standing effects as the infrastructure to continue virtual care past the pandemic has already been established.
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References:
https://msmagazine.com/2020/07/21/the-abortion-pill-mifepristone-just-became-easier-to-get/