Page 33 - RU Robert Wood Johnson Medicine • Summer 2020

Left: Department of Pediatrics residents and faculty.
school to strategize how best to respond and plan for overcoming challenges. “Communication was incredibly important,” says Dr. Craig. “During this emergency, we learned to overcome barriers to understand what was happening outside of our immediate areas of expertise.”
To boost clinicians’ morale during this trying time, administrators at all levels led by example. Dr. Wondisford, along with his leadership team of vice chairs, met daily to ensure the delivery of high-quality care through surge teams while closely monitoring patient volumes. Teams of residents, fellows, intensivists, hospitalists, and specialty faculty were redeployed to meet grow- ing inpatient demands. Dr. Eisenstein bought special surgical caps for his team in the ED, while Dr. Lewis shared motivational quotes and inspirational photos during his daily Webex calls. Grab-and-go catered lunches encouraged clinicians to take a break and refuel.
Telemedicine No Longer Technology of the Future
While providing care via telemed- icine is not a new concept, it wasn’t widely used at the hospital or medical school prior to the crisis. However, it was—and will continue to be—a key tool for treating patients in a COVID-19 world.
A committee led by Frank Sonnen- berg, MD, professor of medicine and chief medical informatics officer, quickly mobilized to help physicians throughout the system use telemedi- cine to see patients. Through the efforts of residents, medical school leadership, and the Office of Informa- tion Technology, 30 iPads were distributed to help residents triage
and treat patients. More than 125 students volunteered to help onboard telemedicine patients.
Through telehealth, patients were still able to see their providers, request medication refills, get medical advice, and more while remaining safe in their own homes. This service was especially important for those with chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma.
Telehealth helped the community’s most vulnerable members continue to receive health care. Eric Jahn, MD ’88, senior associate dean for community health, and associate professor of family medicine and community health, says, “One of our missions is to meet the health needs of the most vulnerable. During COVID-19, Eric B. Chandler Health Center fulfilled this mission and continued to provide care in an uninterrupted manner, meeting patient needs through telehealth and in-person care, when needed.”
Telehealth also transformed how otolaryngologists care for patients. P. Ashley Wackym, MD, professor and chair, Department of Otolaryngol- ogy—Head and Neck Surgery, says, “The technology existed, but it was the COVID-19 crisis that led payors to support these medical services. The convenience is amazing; patients are more relaxed and have been more concise about explaining their problems and concerns.”
To address mental health issues, Matthew Menza, MD, former professor and chair, Department of Psychiatry, says the department also ramped up its telemedicine services while continuing patient treatment. Faculty and senior trainees also conducted individualized support calls
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