The Practice of Online Medical Care at Juntendo Hospital in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The numbers of coronavirus (COVID-19) infections have exploded in Japan since mid-March 2020, making it difficult for outpatients to visit our hospital (Juntendo Hospital in Tokyo). For this reason, the hospital expanded the use of online medical care in May 2020 to ensure uninterrupted medication treatment for outpatients who could not attend in person. Although the number of outpatient visits in person was reduced, patients were still able to consult our clinic and receive their medication through online medical care via audio–video systems. This paper discusses the background to this situation, as well as the guidelines, the medical fee system, and the advantages and disadvantages of online medical care in Japan.