Dr. Shivesh Kumar is a Family Medicine Specialist with over ten years of experience. He is a member of the American Board of Family Medicine, focusing on partnering with large insurance companies and hospital systems. Standing in the middle of the two prominent health care forces, Dr. Kumar also focuses on providing population help, systemic help, alleviating disparities, and helping systems overcome inefficiencies.
Dr. Kumar combines a wide range of expertise, experience with clinical and transition care work, and post-hospital care.
Family Medicine Amid the Pandemic
“When the pandemic started, there was panic across the country because nobody knew what was going to happen. We had over mobilized, so we had to cancel vacations, cancel breaks. We needed everyone on the frontline to see as many patients as we could,” said Dr. Shivesh Kumar in an interview with Top Doctors Magazine. He explained that hospitals were clogged with COVID-19 patients while patients with chronic illnesses avoided hospitals.
COVID-19 Pandemic: The Overall Impact On The Healthcare System
The current market situation has affected businesses so that certain groups have been falling off since last year. Even worse was the news about two of the largest insurance groups, operating for over 18 years, both simultaneously filed for bankruptcy. As we advanced, Dr. Kumar explained that there would be a lot of uncertainty because people are losing their insurance, especially in Las Vegas.
Creating Awareness To Help Overcome The Challenge
Dr. Kumar believes that there needs to be a national movement towards a universal health care insurance type of safety net coverage. It does not have to be expensive, but it could be Medicaid level care where costs are being covered, and providers and hospitals are being paid.
“I think that is the most important thing for the next administration. That kind of funding is crucial to keep the health system intact. Provider groups are going to have huge revenue shortfalls,” said Dr. Kumar
Family Medicine And Technology: Remote Patient Monitoring
Dr. Kumar explained that technology would help healthcare workers optimize their service in the future. He raises the point that wearable technology will aid remote monitoring so that healthcare providers can monitor and spot worsening diseases.
“Although it may happen slowly, we will be there in five years. Patients will be able to use their iPad or other biometric equipment to receive care from their doctor. Also, we will see the use of holograms of a doctor providing care to patients through 3D or Virtual Reality where doctors will put on a headset and appear in front of a patient,” said Dr. Kumar.
Overcoming The Pandemic Through Vaccination
The virus hit the U.S hard and working together to fight it is crucial. Evidence has shown that if everyone gets vaccinated and we achieve herd immunity, COVID-19 will become a common cold, and it will be treated as such. It won’t be a devastating illness anymore.
“If we understand and trust science and get vaccinated, we will be talking about the common cold in the next year and not a devastating illness. We all need to work together to get each other vaccinated so that all of us as a society can get past coronavirus.”
