Clinical implications of telemedicine for providers and patients.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in paradigm shifts in the delivery of health care. Lockdowns, quarantines, and local mandates forced many physician practices around the United States to move to remote patient visits and adoption of telemedicine. This has several long-term implications in the future practice of medicine. In this review we outline different models of integrating telemedicine into both male and female fertility practices and recommendations on performing video physical examinations. Moving forward we foresee two general models of integration: one conservative, where initial intake and follow-up is performed remotely, and a second model where most visits are performed via video and patients are only seen preoperatively if necessary. We also discuss the impact THAT telemedicine has on coding and billing and our experience with patient satisfaction.

Clinical implications and economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic on gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine in Germany: learning from Italy.

The infection with the novel SARS Cov-2 Coronavirus, the cause of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome, possessing its origin in the Chinese province Hubei, has reached the extent of a global pandemic within a few months. After aerosol infection, most people experience mild respiratory infection with cold symptoms such as cough and fever, and healing within two weeks. In about 5% of those infected, however, a severe course develops with the occurrence of multiple subpleural bronchopulmonary infiltrates and even death as a result of respiratory failure. The Coronavirus pandemic has multiple impacts on social life that have not been seen before. For example, the government adopted measures to curb the exponential spread of the virus, which included a significant reduction in social contacts. Furthermore, the specialist societies recommended that no elective treatments be carried out during the pandemic period. This review article considers epidemiological aspects of novel Coronavirus infection and presents both the clinical as well the possible economic effects of the pandemic on gynecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine in Germany in the past, present and future. In addition, useful preventive measures for daily clinical work and the previously known scientific findings dealing with the impact of Coronavirus on pregnancy and birth are discussed.