Save money on good healthcare – Why you should consider Telemedicine

Telemedicine is an exciting and expanding field within healthcare, offering a number of benefits for patients. The idea of telemedicine has been around for over 40 years. Talking over the phone to get expert consultation for medical care, after all, is a form of telemedicine. With the boom in technology, we are now able to do so much more, namely interactive video face-to-face communication. And there are vast arrays of mobile devices on the market to help patients monitor their health and assist providers with diagnose and treatment.

Benefits

The main driver of telemedicine is convenience. Patients want immediate attention when they have a medical problem, and telemedicine can offer very quick consultation and recommendations. Plus, patients can talk with a physician from the comfort of their home without the need to travel.

Cost is also a huge benefit in telemedicine, as the services are generally less expensive than traditional care in a clinic.

Finally, rural communities with limited access to healthcare can benefit significantly, especially when specialists may be greater than 200 miles away.

Drawbacks

The biggest drawbacks are related to technology, privacy, insurance coverage, and the inability to perform a physical exam and order tests.

Technology has its problems, including network interruptions and technical difficulties. Some people are not as savvy with technology as others, so the ability to navigate the telemedicine program may be complicated for certain patients.

Privacy is also a concern, especially in our current web environment where hackers are becoming more prevalent and even large companies are having difficulty keeping their networks safe. Most telemedicine companies take the best precautions they can to encrypt their data and create a safe cloud environment.

Many insurance companies do not cover telemedicine services yet. Though I believe it is inevitable that these services will be covered in the future, many patients currently must pay out of pocket. Luckily, the costs are generally low. For those with high deductibles, telemedicine could save costs over the course of the year for basic medical visits, assuming no major medical events occur.

Finally, because telemedicine is a remote service, it is not possible for a provider to perform a physical exam in person. I say in person because there are a number of physical exam items the patient can do on themselves while the provider watches on the other end. But this can still limit the evaluation. If a patient needs an xray or other blood testing, this is also not possible and the patient may need to be transferred to a clinic, urgent care or emergency department for further care.

What patients should use telemedicine services?

A telemedicine appointment can take the place of an urgent care visit. If you are a patient with a more serious medical history such as heart disease or lung disease, telemedicine might not be right for you unless your problem is minor and unrelated to your diagnoses.

Conditions that telemedicine might benefit include:

• Minor Accidents and falls
• Minor cuts (deciding whether stitches are needed or not)
• Breathing difficulties (such as mild to moderate asthma)
• Eye irritation and redness
• Back problems
• Sore throat, flu-like symptoms, or other upper respiratory symptoms
• Minor strains or sprains when a broken bone is not suspected
• Skin rashes
• Urinary tract infection symptoms (i.e. painful urination)
• Minor vomiting or diarrhea

Telemedicine providers

There are many telemedicine companies out there and they all have certain benefits and drawbacks. The two best ways to pick a telemedicine company when you desire care are to ask your insurance company or the hospital system that you trust. Asking your insurance company means that they have vetted the company and perhaps even have a contract for that company to provide care under your insurance, so it would be a covered benefit. Asking a trusted hospital also means the company has been vetted and some of the doctors may actually work within that hospital system.

Other important points to think about are the cost of the service (this can range from $49-$79 depending on the service), and the physicians that will be treating you. Are they board certified and the correct specialty?

Finally, a user-friendly mobile app can help streamline the telemedicine visit, so do some research online to find the right company for you.

Here is an older review but gives some good information about a number of telemedicine companies.

How does a face-to-face telemedicine visit work?

After finding a telemedicine service that you feel comfortable with, you generally sign up, enter your medical history (diagnoses, medications, etc.) and then request a consult with a physician. You can expect the physician to ask a number of questions and perhaps direct you to help with the examination. This can include opening your mouth wide to show the physician your throat or asking you to check your vital signs, such as heart rate, temperature, and respiratory rate.

Following the history and tele-examination, the physician can recommend specific treatments, and most telemedicine platforms are set up to e-prescribe medication (when appropriate) directly to the pharmacy that you listed when you signed up.

You will receive instructions and follow up information just as you would in an urgent care or emergency department. The consultation usually lasts about 10-15 minutes from start to finish.

Additional information

Telemedicine is regulated just as any other medical practice and there are rules of which you should be aware.

First, physicians must have a state license in the state in which the telemedicine visit is taking place and the patient must be physically in that state. So if you live in Michigan, but you are on vacation in Florida, a physician in Michigan would not be able to take care of you by telemedicine while you are physically in Florida. This seems a bit silly considering it is a virtual visit in the same country, but these are the regulations physicians must currently follow. I would anticipate this changing in the future as telemedicine becomes more of a standard practice.

And second, a telemedicine physician cannot prescribe narcotic pain medications. Narcotics such as opiates require a physical script given to the patient to take to the pharmacy. E-prescribing or calling in these prescriptions is not allowed. So telemedicine is not the appropriate service if you require these medications.

Conclusion

Telemedicine has boomed recently, owing to a culture that is now supporting these convenient and cost-effective solutions to healthcare. If you require care and are unable to get into your primary physician, you might find these services to be quite beneficial.

What do you think? Do you support telemedicine for healthcare needs?