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Telehealth Visits
Telehealth refers to the treatment of medical conditions without seeing the patient in person. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our providers may use telehealth platforms like AthenaTelehealth to perform live video and audio visits remotely. Our telehealth platform is a simple platform to use and is HIPAA compliant. Patients can easily access a virtual room through an automatically shared URL via a patient’s preferred contact method, no application installs, no portal logins, and no meeting id's required.
In person Office Visit
Your first visit to Southwest Gastroenterology will allow us to evaluate your symptoms. As part of that consultation, your gastroenterologist may request additional lab tests, imaging studies, or endoscopic examinations for diagnosis or treatment. A treatment plan may also be prescribed along with a follow-up plan of care. Sometimes follow-up may be through your primary care physician.
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is advised for all average-risk patients, age 50 and older, for routine colon cancer screening, whereby a careful examination is performed to discover and remove polyps. This procedure, which is performed under conscious sedation, has many indications, including unexplained diarrhea, rectal bleeding, a family history of colon cancer, and constipation. This procedure is performed at Southwest Endoscopy.
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Patients with significant illnesses—poorly controlled diabetes, significant cardiac disease, severe breathing problems, kidney problems—are required to schedule an office visit prior to the procedure and are not eligible for Open-Access service. If symptoms are present, such as underlying abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, or any other gastrointestinal issues, an Open-Access Colonoscopy will not be the best initial procedure. In this case, a regular office visit will be scheduled.
Upper Endoscopy
Upper endoscopy is performed to examine the esophagus, stomach, and small bowel for abnormalities. This includes problems related to disorders of swallowing, black stools, ulcer disease, and abdominal pain. This is performed at Southwest Endoscopy.
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Patients with significant illnesses—poorly controlled diabetes, significant cardiac disease, severe breathing problems, kidney problems—are required to schedule an office visit prior to the procedure and are not eligible for Open-Access service. If symptoms are present, such as underlying abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, or any other gastrointestinal issues, an Open-Access Colonoscopy will not be the best initial procedure. In this case, a regular office visit will be scheduled.