Whats Up, Doc? A Guide To Telemedicine

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WHAT’S UP, DOC?
A GUIDE TO
TELEMEDICINE
What Is Telemedicine?
Benefits of Telemedicine
Telecommunications technology is expanding our healthcare options.
Telemedicine allows you to receive medical advice from a healthcare
provider anytime, from anywhere — and at a lower cost per visit.
94 – 99%
reported being “very satisfied”
with telemedicine, and one-third
preferred a telemedicine visit to
a traditional in-person visit.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: Patients’ Satisfaction with
and Preference for Telehealth Visits
76%
of patients say they care more
about access to healthcare than
having an in-person interaction
with their doctors.
evisit.com: The Ultimate Telemedicine
Guide | What Is Telemedicine?
$79: The average cost of a telemedicine visit.
$146: The average cost of a doctor’s visit.
$1,734: The cost of an average trip to the ER.
healthaffairs.org: Direct-To-Consumer Telehealth May Increase Access To Care But Does Not
Decrease Spending
Telemedicine allows you to discuss non-emergent medical
issues and symptoms with your healthcare provider via
mobile phone, video conferencing apps or medical devices.
Interactive medicine — Doctors and patients
communicate in real time.
Remote monitoring — Caregivers monitor
patients who use mobile medical equipment
by capturing data on blood pressure, blood
sugar levels and more.
Store and forward — Providers share
patients’ health information with professionals
or specialists in other locations.
Types of Telemedicine
Telemedicine Appointments
Prepare — If your doctor offers telemedicine
visits via HIPAA compliant, video conferencing
or healthcare software, simply sign up, log in
and follow the instructions to schedule your
virtual visit.
Get started — Sit in front of a camera
using a computer, smartphone or tablet
so you can see and hear yourself and your
healthcare provider.
Virtual visit — Show your doctor your rash,
veins or injury, or have him show you how
to use an inhaler. Your provider asks you
questions and you go from there — just like
an in-person visit — and together, you come
up with a plan of care.
Accessibility — Patients may not have easy
access to doctors, particularly in rural areas.
Convenience — Patients can be “seen” from
anywhere at any time, prescriptions can be
sent immediately to a local pharmacy.
Time savings — Patients avoid waiting for an
appointment, traveling to the doctor’s office,
and waiting in the doctor’s office.
Money savings —Patients don’t have to leave
work or pay for child care, and doctors don’t
experience no-shows and cancellations.
When to Use Telemedicine
Minor urgent care (cold, flu, sore throat,
vomiting, insect bites, rashes, etc.)
Low-level cases when healthcare resources
are dedicated to disaster relief
Medication questions and/or
prescription renewal
Post-surgical/hospital discharge follow-up
Management of chronic health conditions,
such as vein disease or arthritis
Getting a second opinion based on test results
After-hours family and pediatric consultations
Sources:
goodrx.com: What Is Telemedicine? | healthcare.utah.edu: For Patients: What Is Telemedicine?
news-medical.net: Types of Telemedicine | vsee.com: What Is Telemedicine? | evisit.com