Reimagining Care: Josh Meskin, MD, FACC

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, it was essential that our team in cardiology continue to provide uninterrupted care for our patients. Many of our patients deal with complex heart issues that if left unaddressed could lead to significant decline in health or even be life threatening. Therefore, rapid transition to the COVID-19 environment was critical.

For patients who needed in-person visits for testing and other vital care, that meant seamlessly implementing protocols to ensure the safety of our patients, their families and our faculty and staff. These protocols included distancing of essential staff during shifts, comprehensive and thorough sanitization of our facilities as prescribed by the CDC and use of essential personal protective equipment.

For patients whose care could be done virtually, we needed to transition their appointments to a model where we could care for them through video visits without compromising quality. Within a week, we were able to adapt to the virtual clinic model. I was most impressed by how quickly and nimbly our team was able to adapt. Each of our staff members had to learn how to best accommodate our patients in a video visit format. This included reaching out to each patient individually to make sure that they had the technology and skills needed to be seen over video.

My biggest takeaway during this unprecedented time has been the ability for people to find solutions to complex problems. I was impressed by how our team was able to identify problems and subsequently think creatively to find a solution. The exchange of ideas from all staff and faculty members resulted in finding the best approaches to help us provide the best care possible for our patients.