{"id":140357,"date":"2025-02-13T21:32:07","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T02:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140357"},"modified":"2025-02-13T21:32:07","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T02:32:07","slug":"as-seasonal-viruses-surge-smart-healthcare-choices-can-make-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140357","title":{"rendered":"As Seasonal Viruses Surge, Smart Healthcare Choices Can Make a Difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

Knowing When and Where to Seek Care Can Save Time, Cut Your Costs<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

HARRISBURG<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Amid a late-season surge in flu, RSV, norovirus and other virus-borne illnesses, Capital Blue Cross is reminding people that when and where they seek care can help minimize the spread of illness and ensure healthcare facilities are not overwhelmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis time of year, we are seeing some emergency rooms inundated with cases of flu and stomach viruses \u2013 conditions that sometimes can be treated just as effectively by a family doctor or urgent care,\u201d said Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blus Cross. \u201cWeighing your best options for care not only can save you time and money, it can help keep hospital caregivers from being stretched too thin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reported respiratory illnesses have increased across Pennsylvania hospitals in recent weeks, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, which reports \u201cvery high\u201d flu cases \u2013\u00a0nearly 130,000 as of Feb. 8<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 as well as high RSV activity. National trends\u00a0mirror that increase<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Wigginton said self-care practices \u2013 such as rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medications \u2013 are important first steps, but it\u2019s also crucial to know when and how to seek professional healthcare.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf your symptoms are mild to moderate, staying home and taking care of yourself not only helps you, it helps prevent the further spread of viruses,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you have chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your regular healthcare provider about which over-the-counter medications are best for you.\u00a0Pharmacists also can help answer questions when you\u2019re choosing over-the-counter treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you think your symptoms require medical attention, contact your\u00a0primary care physician<\/a>\u00a0(PCP), often referred to as a family doctor, or seek care\u00a0virtually<\/a>. If you don\u2019t have a family doctor, or cannot schedule a convenient appointment time, urgent care is a middle-ground option between a PCP and the emergency room.<\/p>\n

ERs should be used for the most severe symptoms, such as severe breathing issues, chest pain, or life-threatening conditions. Since ERs tend to see the sickest patients first, regardless of when they arrive, you might wait longer if your condition is less urgent. An ER visit also typically costs more than a family doctor or urgent care.<\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross\u2019 online\u00a0\u201cCapital Journal\u201d<\/a>\u00a0has more information on how and when to seek appropriate care.<\/p>\n

About Capital Blue Cross<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross<\/a>\u00a0serves a 21-county region in Central Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley by offering health insurance products, services and technology solutions that provide peace of mind and promote health and wellness for our members. We focus on simplifying and personalizing the healthcare experience and using innovative solutions \u2013 including patient-focused care models, actionable data, and digital health technologies \u2013 to create healthier lives and lower healthcare costs. Our Capital Blue Cross Connect health and wellness centers provide in-person service and inspiration to help people reach their health goals. Capital Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nJerry Reimenschneider<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Knowing When and Where to Seek Care Can Save Time, Cut Your Costs\u00a0 HARRISBURG\u00a0\u2013 Amid a late-season surge in flu, RSV, norovirus and other virus-borne illnesses, Capital Blue Cross is … Continue reading As Seasonal Viruses Surge, Smart Healthcare Choices Can Make a Difference<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112634,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/capital-blue.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140357"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=140357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/112634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=140357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=140357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=140357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}