MDHI Telemedicine

MD Harris Institute Telemedicine (MDHIT) provides services in four areas – Social Support, Education, Research, and Clinical Care.

• Acute Minor Illness or injuries
• Episodic preventive medicine care, such as physical exams for healthy students and workers.
• Non-operative sports and rehabilitative medicine care
• Preventive, Occupational, and Environmental Medicine
• World Medicine (including acupuncture, yoga, and other areas of traditional Chinese, Indian, African, and Native medicine).
• Health, fitness, and aesthetics
• Pastoral counseling (family, marital, individual)

MDHIT uses human decision making augmented by artificial intelligence for screening, diagnosis, and therapy. This includes history, physical, imaging, laboratory results, and other studies. Research and experience suggest that AI-augmentation results in more accurate diagnoses and better overall care.

MDHIT does not provide ongoing routine primary or specialty care. Patients must find their own long-term primary and specialty care providers. If you are in the United States and need emergency care, please call 911 immediately. If you are elsewhere, please follow your appropriate national, regional, or local system to access medical care.

We focus on underserved and distressed people throughout the world. For example, MDHIT provides health education to US residents (such as in West Virginia) and medical services for patients in the Ukraine, Central Asia, and elsewhere. We do not charge for services.

Social Support Services

Social factors such as poverty, violence, and addiction impact health. US-based patients can use the Neighborhood Navigator to find help with food, housing, goods, transportation, employment, money, and legal and financial issues. Enter your zip code to find resources in your area. If you wish to volunteer to meet needs remotely or in your area, visit JustServe.org to find opportunities. 

Informed Consent

Please carefully review this webpage and the MDHIT Informed Consent information. If you have no questions, complete the MDHIT Informed Consent form. If you have any questions, please discuss them with Dr. Harris prior to your visit. MDHIT cannot provide education or medical care to anyone who has not provided informed consent.

How to prepare for your visit

In telemedicine, many parts of the physical exam cannot be done by the provider. For example, looking in the ears and listening to the heart is not possible via telemedicine without specialized equipment.

Please have the following items at hand before the exam:

1. Flashlight – to illuminate skin findings (such as a rash) and to check the reactivity of pupils (in the eyes) to light. Do not use the flashlight on your phone if you are using the phone for the telemedicine connection. The light must be separate from the phone.
2. Spoon – to depress the tongue during a throat examination.
3. Magnifying glass – to magnify skin findings
4. Other medical equipment (stethoscope, glucometer, pulsoximeter, blood pressure machine) – as available

Please expose the body part which is causing the concern. For example, if your main complaint is ankle pain, please expose the painful ankle. If your primary complaint is nausea or vomiting, please expose your abdomen. Do not expose private body parts, such as anything covered by a swimsuit, at any time. Please see your primary care or specialty physician for such concerns.

Many mental health conditions require specific criteria to establish the diagnosis. First, the patient has to have symptoms on most days for many weeks or even months. Second, the patient has to have functional impairment. If you are concerned that you may have a mental health condition, please keep a daily record (a diary) of your mental health symptoms. Include the type and severity of functional impairment (troubles living your life). After 1-3 months, up to 6 months, please see your doctor.

At any point, if your symptoms are severe, please see your physician. If you fear that you might harm yourself or someone else, please seek emergency care at once.

International patients can access whatever social support services they have locally.

If you are organizing a medical missions trip, you may wish to review this article.

Accessing the MDHIT

You may contact Dr. Harris via in-person, MDHarrisInstitute@gmail.com, Signal, and WhatsApp to request a consultation. If he can see you, please check-in to the MDHIT Virtual Consultation Room at least five minutes before the appointed time. Signing in will automatically notify the doctor and he will admit you to the Virtual Consultation Room.

What to expect at your visit

Please let Dr. Harris know if you cannot see and hear him adequately. He will ask for your consent to interview, examine, and treat you. You may hear him typing in your medical record while talking to you. Sometimes he will look away because he is typing or looking up the latest references.

Feel free to discuss any physical or mental health concern you have with Dr. Harris. Discussions with US-based patients will focus on education rather than diagnosis and treatment. Educational discussions do not establish a patient-provider relationship. 

History

If you are a non-US based patient seeing Dr. Harris for a clinical appointment rather than simply for education, he may ask you about the following:

1. Chief complaint – What is the main concern that you have today?
2. History of Present Illness – Please provide more information about the symptoms that you currently have and the story behind your current complaint.
3. Medical, Surgical, and Mental Health History
4. Social and Occupational History
5. Family and Reproductive History – if needed
6. Medication Use
7. Alcohol, Tobacco, and other substance use – if needed
8. Social influences on health (food security, poverty) – if needed

Please feel free to answer or refuse to answer any question. 

Examination

In a telemedicine visit, the patient will need to do some parts of the exam that a physician does in an in-person visit. For example, if the doctor asks you to squeeze your fingertip, he is checking to see how quickly the color turns from white (when the blood has been squeezed out) to red again (when the blood returns). If he asks you to walk, he is checking your gait. Depending upon your complaints, the exam will be more or less detailed. Musculoskeletal and rehabilitative care typically require examinations including strength and range of motion testing.

After your visit

You will achieve the greatest success if you follow Dr. Harris’ instructions carefully and consistently. Chronic pain, swelling, and poor range of motion frequently found in sports and rehabilitation practices take a long time to improve. Exercises are extremely important. Ask about mental and physical health surveys and exercises by Adhere.ly.

If you develop negative effects from any treatment, please see your doctor for primary, specialty, or emergency care as soon as possible. MDHI Telemedicine does not provide ongoing primary or specialty care and does not provide emergency care of any kind.

Patient information protection is a top priority for MDHI Telemedicine. We use Doxy.me, a HIPAA compliant telemedicine portal.

Conclusion

The Great Physician, Jesus Christ, healed the sick. Though a pale shadow of Him, we at the MDHI Telemedicine promote health and alleviate suffering throughout the world. This includes social support, education, research, and clinical care. We are blessed to serve and give glory to God by helping you.

MDHI Telemedicine Resources for Clinicians

• Dietary Reference Intake Calculator – reveals each patient’s general dietary needs.
• Drugs – database of US drugs
• Drugs – International Drug Names
• MD Calc – Calculator for a wide variety of medical conditions
• Osteoporosis Fracture Risk (FRAX)
• USPSTF – Preventive Medicine recommendation calculator

Resource Links