click to enlarge If you've scheduled a doctor's appointment in the last year, chances are you've had a virtual appointment. With hospitals and medical practices on high alert for the spread of Covid, minor ailments and health concerns that didn't require an in-person visit shifted largely onto computers and smartphones, where a provider could talk you through your symptoms and even provide a diagnosis from the comfort of your own home. It's hard to believe, then, that prior to the pandemic, many healthcare providers simply didn't offer virtual appointments. "We didn't do telehealth because New York State didn't cover it at the time," says Dr. Ronald Pope, Vice President of Medical Services, Care Centers for Columbia Memorial Health (CMH). "There were many states that had been working with telehealth previously, but every state was different, and New York had to ramp up pretty quickly when Covid hit."