Dr. Yun Xia, a primary care physician at Morton Hospital, Taunton, says she has held telemedicine sessions in patients' homes, workplaces, their friends' homes and even at a backyard barbecue.

"I do feel it adds a personal touch. They talk about their spouses and their pets" in the course of their sessions, she said, explaining telemed offers her the opportunity to see patients in their natural environment instead of in an examination room where they are often anxious. "It's a great way to connect with a patient. It's very personal."

Dr. John Podkowa, chief medical information officer at Southcoast Health, said he has seen patients using telemed during their lunch breaks at work and sometimes in their cars. "It provides a nice option for them," he said.

Dr. Holly L. Alexandre, a primary care physician and an addiction specialist with Southcoast Health, went one step further, saying in the case of patients who suffer from substance and alcohol abuse, telemed has enabled her to see more patients.

"I've taken on new addiction patients through telehealth. More and more people are seeking treatment for their opioid addiction," she said. "This (telemed) is one more way to lift the barrier of care to addiction treatment."

Convenience is the word physicians use often to describe the benefits to their patients when they agree to see their doctors using telemed.

Telemedicine is the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology. It is generally conducted between a doctor and a patient, but can include a doctor and the patient's family, either over the computer or the telephone.

COVID-19 and the need to keep patients and physicians safe has fueled the popularity of telemedicine. It has also been aided largely by the relaxation of regulations by Gov. Charlie Baker, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services because of the pandemic.

The electronic delivery of health care services has proven overwhelmingly popular with patients and physicians and has broken down barriers to health care, according to physicians with Steward Medical Group and Southcoast Health. Steward owns Morton Hospital in Taunton, Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River and Hawthorn Medical Associates in Dartmouth. Southcoast Health owns St. Luke's Hospital in New Bedford, Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.

Physicians at Steward Medical Group and Southcoast Health believe telemed has proven itself as an effective way to deliver health care services and hope it will continue, saying they would be disappointed it it isn't. "It has given us another ability to care for patients. It would be really disappointing if it was not here to stay," said Joely Edwards, a pediatrician with Southcoast Health.

But will telemedicine have a future after the pandemic?

"It has really been awesome. It has changed the way we do business," said Peter Medeiros, director of IT technology at Southcoast Health.

Medeiros said telemed is currently working under a waiver from the federal government. It would need an extension for it to continue.

State officials offer encouraging comments about the continuation of telemed after the pandemic.

MassHealth will continue to cover telehealth beyond the public health emergency, and has said they will work with health care providers and other stakeholders to establish an appropriate long-term telehealth policy, according to a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Telehealth has proven to be a valuable resource for residents across the state during the COVID-19 emergency.

There have been over 600,000 MassHealth visits conducted via telehealth either over the phone or live video since MassHealth made services available to members, the spokesperson said.​​

While MassHealth began covering behavioral health services delivered via telehealth in February 2019, MassHealth was developing a telehealth policy that would expand access beyond behavioral health care to physical health as well with a planned launch this spring, the spokesperson said.

The work to develop that policy is continuing, the spokesperson said.

Dr. Alexandre said she uses telemed extensively and believes it has found a niche in people's busy lives. People have to work and sometimes it is just not possible for them to take a few hours to hop in their car and see their doctor.

Telemed changes that dynamic, she said. They can log on to their computer or speak with the physician over the phone from their workplaces during a break or lunch.

Then there are transportation and child care issues for some patients that interferes with getting to their doctors' offices, she said. They have to wait for public transportation or call a cab and some just don't want to bring their small children with him to the doctor's office.

Many patients just seem to prefer telemed instead of an in-person visit, she said. "They appear more comfortable and seem at ease as opposed to an examination in a doctor's office," she said.

"It has successfully helped provide the continuity of care and address their needs," she said.

But she would not want telemed to be the only way medicine is provided, she said. "It has a place. It is not meant to replace office visits," she said.

There are times when a visit must be person-to-person, said Jim Feen, chief information officer at Southcoast Health.

Telemed does have its limitations, Alexandre said. Doctors can't put their hands on a patient's shoulder or hold their hand to reassure them when delivering bad news.

However, with the use of video, a doctor can see a patient's body language, she said.

Age and an inability to speak different languages doesn't have to be a barrier to the use of telemed, she said.

She had a telemed session over FaceTime with a 98-year-old man, who was aided in its use by a family member. "You're never too old to access the technology," Alexandre said.

She also had a telemed session where an intrepreter was used for a Spanish-speaking patient, she said. The doctor, the patient and the intrepreter were all on separate computer screens, but they could all see and speak with each other. Alexandre was the only person in her office.

Edwards said her experience has been "overwhelmingly positive," which is something she admits she was not expecting. "People have jumped right in. It has been great," she said.

The conversations she has had with patients using telemed have been "more detailed," she said. "The connection is one that is really powerful," she said.

She has found it to be especially beneficial with her behavioral health patients, she said. "The care was timely and in their own space," she said.

Xia, a member of Steward Medical Group's Internal Medicine Health Associates, located in Taunton and affiliated with Morton Hospital, said telemed is really not new and has been used for several years in diabetes management.

She could not be more of a believer in it. "I've found it to be a very useful tool," she said, adding she believes it represents "the future of medicine."

It has opened the door to health care for so many, saying it has applications for behavorial management, acute care management and the control of high blood pressure. "I really feel it is a great, great tool," she said.

Although it is expensive and not widely used by physicians, telemed has the ability for a doctor to look into a patient's ear and listen to their heart, she said. As technology improves, she feels the costs will come down and doctors will make wider use of these options.

"We will see what happens in the future. I'm very, very excited about it," she said.