Drs. Dhaval Bhanusali and Omar Noor discuss the shared benefit of telemedicine for patients and physicians
We spoke with dermatologists Dhaval Bhanusali and Omar Noor about how they use telemedicine in their practice to benefit their patients and to provide a sense of balance in their busy lives.
This discussion is part of the Galderma Experts Series in which we speak with world-renowned leaders in dermatology about patient care and practice management.
DR. NOOR: All right. So, hi, everybody. My name is Omar Noor. I'm a dermatologist in New York City. And I'm here with Dhaval Bhanusali, who is on the other side of Manhattan, also a dermatologist in the city. So, pleasure to be here, and, hey, Dhaval. How are you?
Dr. BHANUSALI: It's good to see you, my friend.
DR. NOOR: Patient, you can communicate with them well via telemedicine. Maybe sometimes the clarity of the connection may not be perfect, and in certain instances if you're evaluating, say, a lesion for skin cancer, it might not be ideal – or a melanoma. But when talking about Acne or Rosacea or having the ability to communicate with patients via tele, it could be utilized well, and it was utilized to a certain extent during the pandemic.
A lot of people shifted to telemedicine. But I feel that telemedicine is kind of a waste-bucket of a term, and there's a huge spectrum of what is considered telemedicine. If my patients are calling me and we're communicating via telemedicine, I think that's a great opportunity for those patients. But if a patient goes online and fills out a form and a PA acknowledges that form somewhere in the country and says, "Yes, you want this medicine, no problem." You give them the medicine, that is also another way of using telemedicine. So how do you feel about that form of telemedicine and just telemedicine within dermatology?
DR. BHANUSALI: I mean, like everything in life, it's what you make it, right, and I think it was a great option during the pandemic. It'll never be as good, obviously, as inpatient, I don't think, or in office. I don't think anybody will argue that. But, again, everything's an opportunity, and for me, telemedicine has brought a bit of balance to our office and my life personally. So I like to not work after 3:00 P.M. or so, or at least not be running around too much, so I might schedule a couple tele-visits at 3:30 or something like that and just kind of wind down my day.
At the end of the day, I think the pandemic showed us that we need to find that balance, all of us, and it's important to be mindful of things and to not over-extend yourself. And so I think telemedicine can find that – again, I don't think it'll replace obviously what we do in the office, never, not even close – but I think you can start having this hybrid model. I think patients appreciate it, too, because if somebody's traveling again or, if, for whatever reason, they can't get to the office, I think if it's the appropriate context, it's a great option.
DR. NOOR: Living the life, man, 3:00 P.M.
