Episode 20 - Virtual Care Has Gone Viral with Drs. Brent Ohata and Tommy Gerschman

In this special Virtual Care episode of Around the Rheum, host Daniel Ennis is joined by Brent Ohata and Tommy Gerschman, two of the leading advocates for telehealth in Rheumatology. They discuss the pre-COVID-19 use of virtual care, how rheumatologists made the quick pivot to virtual care when the pandemic hit, why video is better than phone, why virtual care is a good fit for patients and doctors in many instances, and what its limitations are and why it isn’t going away anytime soon!Bios:Dr. Brent Ohata is an adult rheumatologist and clinical assistant professor in the UBC Division of Rheumatology. He is the co-chair of the CRA's Telehealth Working Group. He has a clinical focus on Indigenous health and health equity.Dr. Tommy Gerschman is a community-based pediatric rheumatologist and sports medicine specialist. Dr. Gerschman has assisted with the BC Ministry of Health's Digital Health Strategy and associated policies. He is currently the co-chair of a Community-Based Specialists' working group. Dr. Daniel Ennis is a rheumatologist and vasculitis specialist at the University of British Columbia.Special Thanks:Around the Rheum is produced by the Canadian Rheumatology Association's Communications Committee.Thank you to the podcast team, Dr. Dax G. Rumsey (CRA Communications Committee Chair), Dr. Daniel Ennis (Rheumatologist and Host), David McGuffin (Producer, Explore Podcast Productions), and Kevin Baijnauth (Marketing and Communications, CRA) for leading production. Our theme music was composed by Aaron Fontwell.For more on the work of the Canadian Rheumatology Association, including Best Practices for Virtual Care in Rheumatologyvisit rheum.ca.