Blue Cross Reminds Louisianians to Keep Up With Ongoing Healthcare

BATON ROUGE – The coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has been the main healthcare topic on everyone’s minds for the past two months. But, it’s important to stay on top of your usual healthcare needs, especially if you’re 60 or older or you have a long-term condition like diabetes or high blood pressure.  

“We still have the same health and wellness issues we had before the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s important to stay in touch with your doctors to be aware of any changes in your health status,” said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana Medical Director Dr. Jeremy Wigginton.

Everyone should have a primary care provider they see at least once a year for a checkup, and older adults or people with ongoing health needs should have more frequent visits to make sure their numbers for key health indicators, like blood pressure or blood sugar, are within a healthy range, Wigginton said.

“Reach out to your primary care provider and any specialists, like cardiologists or endocrinologists, you see regularly to schedule an appointment,” Wigginton said. “If they offer telehealth services, that is a good option to keep in touch. If you need to be seen in person, your doctor can work with you to safely schedule an office visit.”

Here are some tips for keeping up with your ongoing healthcare needs:

• Reach out to your regular healthcare providers to ask if they offer telehealth visits, which you can do using any device with internet and a camera.
• If your healthcare provider tells you that you should come to the office to be treated or that you need services that can’t be handled remotely, like lab work or testing, follow his/her advice. Ask your healthcare provider about how soon you should be seen in person and what is the safest way for you to come in for care.
• When you go to in-person appointments, you should wear a face mask and keep at least six feet away from others. Your healthcare provider’s office may require you to wear a mask and may have other rules to limit contact between patients. You should call the office before you go in to find out about anything you need to do. If you are unable to follow their requirements, you should let them know before you arrive.
• If you planned to have a surgical procedure or a screening like a mammogram or colonoscopy that you postponed because of COVID-19, ask your healthcare provider about rescheduling.

And, if you have an emergency health issue like symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, severe abdominal pain, have been in an accident or think you may have broken a bone, seek medical attention immediately.

“There have been reports of people delaying care because they are afraid of going to hospitals or emergency rooms and being exposed to COVID-19. But, putting off care in an emergency can lead to very serious outcomes or even death,” Wigginton said. “Get care when you need it. Clinical staff are trained to help you get treated while limiting your exposure to COVID-19 or any other contagious illnesses. And, many hospitals and emergency rooms keep their COVID-19 patients separate from other patients.” 

Dr. Wigginton offers tips for keeping up with your care in this video (2:57) and explains why you should get care right away in emergencies in this video (1:24).

You can visit the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana YouTube page to see short videos with the clinical team and others discussing various health topics. Subscribe to know when new videos are added. You can also connect with Blue Cross on social media for regular updates.

For information on what Blue Cross is doing for members during COVID-19, visit www.bcbsla.com/covid19. You can learn more about telehealth options to keep up with your healthcare providers at www.bcbsla.com/telehealth.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We were recognized in 2019 as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com