Seeing a doctor during COVID-19 , telemedicine visits

It can be scary times if you have a chronic condition or are sick .However, if you are afraid to go to the doctors office or urgent care, the worst thing you can do is just ignore your condition, especially if you have a chronic medical condition. Some doctors can see you online, also known as virtual visits or tele-medicine. We wanted to share some options with you if you need help.

  1. Call your insurance , or check insurance website and see if they offer free tele-medicine visit
  2. Call your doctors office and see if they offer tele-medicine visit , since they know you and your medical history this may be your best option
  3. For a fee you can use apps like Doctors on Demand , Amwell, Teladoc or MDlive these apps are best for acute and urgent visits, including questions about COVID-19
  4. If you prefer pick a doctor first , you can go to website ,This is American Doc , and search doctors by specialty and state, and then their profile ,will tell you how to make an appointment
  5. We ( Health Empowerment for All) offer tele-medicine appointments for those who want help managing and education their chronic condition.We have reduced our fees , and expanded coverage to DC.Maryland, Virginia, New York City , www.heal-md.com

Additional tips:

Wait time: Sites that offer urgent visits, will have longer wait times, sometimes it can be hours
Doctors who offer appointments may have availability in 1-2 days, this is best for people with on going issues

Medication refills: Every different platform will have different rules about medication & prescribing. Only primary care may refill controlled medicine .Other apps will do short term medications ( ie antibiotics) refills. Medications that are often misused in the past will be harder to get ( ie Neurontin)

Check your location : Doctors still can only see patients based on the state they are licensed , check the doctors profile to see what states they practice in

Device to use: Better to use a laptop, desktop computer, tablet or ipad. Phones can be used , but often connection is not as good and video visit can be lost if someone calls or text you during the consultation.

Check yourself : If you have a way of checking your blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugar , do so before visit and let doctor know , it is helpful information

Mental Health: mental health visits , especially psychiatry can be more costly than general doctor. You can try counseling services, but they wont prescribe.

It's not an emergency room: tele- medicine is limited , they cant do procedures, if you need IV fluids, labs , xrays , etc. consider going to urgent care

Be honest about medical history or any other important fact ( ie ran out of medicine)

Do not use excessively - Because it can be free and convenient , sometimes people over use tele-medicine, getting excessive antibiotics or as needed medication, this is not good practice. Telemedicine should not to be used every week, nor to replace your doctors office. Use it in the same way you would go to your doctor

Take Care of yourself: Eat well, walk around, relax, deep breaths,stay calm

Dr Isable
Health Empowerment for All
www.heal-md.com

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