Can I Visit a Doctor Without Leaving My Home?
One of the most frustrating things about being sick is leaving your home for medical care, filling out questionnaires and sitting in the waiting room when you prefer to go to bed trying to get better. But with services like Teladoc and AmWell , a 24/7 doctor who can really help you is just a video call.
You will see words like ” telemedicine ” and ” telemedicine “, but the exact definitions differ. Telemedicine sometimes means video calls and nothing else, while telehealth can involve a wide variety of medical communications, such as when a doctor sends an X-ray to a remote specialist for interpretation. Today we’re using telemedicine to refer to ways in which you can replace a doctor visit with a phone or video call, and we look at some of the largest and most popular services available to most people.
How much does a remote doctor visit cost?
According to the SeekingAlpha report , the average telemedicine visit costs between $ 40 and $ 60. This fee may be covered by your plan, but more often you pay it out of pocket by credit card prior to your visit. Since this is health care costs, you can use savings account funds and this fee can count towards your deductible. MeMD , which charges $ 49.95 per visit, notes that they chose a price lower than the co-pay of many health plans.
According to a Willis Towers Watson / National Business Group Healthcare Report, roughly half of major employers included telemedicine visits in the insurance plans they offered to their employees in 2015. A third of them offered a lower co-pay or remote visit fee than their personal counterparts. It makes sense: Remote visits are cheaper for the doctor, so your plan encourages you to use them.
Currently, 28 states have laws that require insurance to cover telemedicine visits in the same way they cover an equivalent in-person visit to your healthcare provider. In other states, your coverage may be different. Check with your insurance company if video calls or phone visits are covered.
Does it matter where I live?
The doctor on the other end of the line must be licensed to practice medicine in your state, so your location matters to the service. iCliniq markets itself as a service for travelers, but that’s because they have doctors in 13 countries.
In all 50 states, doctors allow doctors to practice medicine via video calls, although details of state laws may vary. For example, some only allow video conferencing and not telephony, so in these states you will need to use a device with a camera.
What conditions can I be treated for?
First, common sense: don’t run a telemedicine app in an emergency. Instead, call 911. You should also go to a real medical facility for anything serious enough to require immediate treatment or for a practical medical examination.
These services are ideal when you need either a prescription for medicines or advice on how to take care of yourself at home. For example, if you suspect you have a cold or flu, Teladoc says they will be happy to see you if you develop symptoms of cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, or a mild fever below 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you have a high fever or severe vomiting and diarrhea, you may need to meet someone in person.
Besides mild cold and flu symptoms, Teladoc also lists bronchitis, allergies, pink eye and urinary tract infections among the things their doctors can deal with. Check out a longer list of conditions , including sprains, sprains, and breakouts like poison ivy. The lists of other services are the same as here MeMD . Teladoc also advertises selected specialist mental health, sexual health and dermatology services. The fees and coverage for these may differ from the basic service fee, so check with your plan.
If you call about a medical condition that your doctor cannot cure, he will recommend that you seek help in person. You will not be refunded because you paid for the doctor’s time. This is a good reason to review your telemedicine service website before calling: there is no point in making an appointment remotely if you have to go to the doctor anyway. That said, if you’re willing to make a remote visit to see how serious your illness is – maybe it’s Friday night during a blizzard, and you’re happy to pay to see if you can stay at home – that can be helpful, too.
Can they prescribe medication?
If you know you need a recipe, this is where things get a little unclear. Health professionals that you see, will be able to prescribe medications, so if you need antibiotics or other common medications, your provider will send the prescription to your local pharmacy, and then you can pick it up. As with a personal visit, the doctor will use his clinical judgment to decide what to prescribe, so unless the local doctor thinks antibiotics will help you sob, antibiotics on the other end of the video call probably won’t. register them too.
Also, don’t expect any highly regulated prescriptions. Xanax, methadone, ambien and zoloft are prohibited. Like Viagra. Essentially, Teladoc will abandon anything that is considered a controlled substance , does not cure a disease, or requires more thorough screening to prescribe safely. The MeMD has similar guidelines and says it can help you replenish your supplies, but it probably won’t force you to take a long-term medication regimen such as blood pressure medications or birth control. They want you to contact your regular supplier for this.
Can I use telemedicine instead of a regular doctor?
Telemedicine has its advantages, but nothing replaces a good relationship with a primary health care provider. Many telemedicine services do not even allow you to see the same doctor you visited last time; you just have to fight whoever is next in the pool.
MeMD provides more information on its website than some of the others, so let’s take them as an example. They directly state that they cannot be your doctor : “Unfortunately, no” is their answer to this very question in their frequently asked questions. They won’t start taking maintenance medications or increase the dosage of what you are already taking. They will also not prescribe a referral to a specialist and prescribe equipment such as a wheelchair. MeMD, like many other telemedicine companies, is designed to replace an emergency clinic such as MedExpress. If you want an ongoing relationship with a specific doctor, you still have to find one yourself .
There is another big advantage in this relationship: if the provider knows you, they can provide simple advice or adjust your medication based on the phone call. This is very similar to a telemedicine visit, except that it can be free. So you can’t replace your doctor with a telemedicine app yet, but it’s a good option if you don’t have a regular doctor or need to take care of something simple when your doctor is not available.