No matter how healthy our lifestyle is, we all need to see a doctor sometimes. This can be a stressful experience if you have to book an appointment at the clinic, then drive there, and then wait for the doctor to be available. Fortunately, you can now see a highly qualified medical professional from the comfort of your own home. Here at Text2MD, we can offer you telemedicine consultations where you speak to your doctor via text or chat.
On average, people in large metropolitan areas have to wait for over 29 days to see their primary care physician. Sometimes, the wait times can be as long as 6 months. By offering virtual consultations, we are aiming to change this and allow you to see your doctor as soon as the need arises. In today’s post, we will go through the process of booking an online appointment and why this could be beneficial to you.
What Is Telemedicine?
Telehealth is a type of medicine that provides care at a distance. When you use this approach, you’ll be seen by a doctor via the phone or computer, and they won’t actually be in the same room with you. That way, you can stay at home instead of going to the clinic for a visit. This method can be used for many different treatments, both urgent and long-term, and you can also place some orders such as a blood test or X-ray.
With the Covid-19 pandemic, this type of treatment has become more common because patients can help to reduce the rate of infection when they stay home to get treated. It can benefit everyone, as you won’t have to leave your home while feeling bad, you can access medicine at a more reasonable price, and you won’t have to wait around at the clinic.
How to Book Your Appointment
You may wonder how the booking process works and how you can gain access to a telehealth appointment. At Text2MD, we have tried to make the process as simple and intuitive as possible, so you simply have to download the app, where you can book and manage all of your appointments.
Once you’ve determined a time and day for your booking, you can chat with your doctor. All patients also have the option of asking follow-up questions free of charge for one month after the initial session.
Download the App
To take advantage of our services, you will have to download the Text2MD app on your phone. With this tool, you’ll be able to book your session and keep track of your past conversations with your doctor. It’s free to get started, but you will have to provide one form of payment so that your doctor can bill you for your consultation later.
We advise that you register only one person per phone, so if several people in your household need a consultation, it’s better if they create separate accounts. Currently, we don’t offer services for children and family packages, but we may do so in the future.
Book Directly
Once you’ve booked the consultation with your doctor, you don’t have to do anything else. Unlike at the local clinic, there shouldn’t be a long wait time or a backlog, so you’ll be able to see a doctor in the next few hours or days if necessary. They will be ready to start chatting with you at the appointment time.
If you don’t speak the same language as your doctor and you need translation, the Text2MD app can provide this for you during your consultation.
Chat to Your Doctor
Your doctor will chat to you and ask you about what health concerns you have. You can send pictures to show them what’s going on, and you can also request a medication refill or an appointment for in-person services. The physician will take enough time to speak to you so that you won’t feel rushed or pressured, and they will be able to advise you on whether you need any follow-up care or not.
Ask Follow-Up Questions as Needed
When you pay for a consultation with one of our doctors, you are guaranteed assistance for the issue for the next month. If you have any follow-up questions or you would like to report new symptoms and side effects, you can simply text your doctor on the app, and they will get back to you. Many of our patients report that this long-term follow-up care is one of the main benefits of telemedicine because it provides continuity.
What Can Be Treated?
Although there are certain conditions that need in-person care, it’s surprising how many appointments can work just as well online. Certain types of urgent care, most kinds of primary care, and lifestyle-related care can all be administered via a chat or text session. You can also receive repeat prescriptions and order tests and imaging. At your appointment, your doctor will tell you whether you also need to book an in-person appointment or not.
Urgent Care
Urgent care is when you have a new illness or injury that requires care but is not life-threatening. You might not yet know what you have and need a diagnosis, or you might be aware of the issue and want to speak to your doctor about medicine or other ways of treating it. We offer urgent care for a wide variety of conditions, including allergies, infections, rashes, flu symptoms, Covid-19, sport injuries, UTIs, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Primary Care
In contrast to urgent care, primary care is the day-to-day medicine that’s usually administered to you by your regular doctor. They will see you first and then potentially refer you to other specialists if you need additional care. Because primary care physicians are often very busy, you might have trouble booking an appointment, and an online session could be the way to go for you. That way, you’ll be able to get the relevant tests and specialist care much sooner.
We can see you for many different issues, including but not limited to high blood pressure and cholesterol, acne, asthma, eczema, and arthritic pain. If you’re not sure that an online appointment can address your condition, give us a call to ask. We’ll be able to tell you whether our doctors can see you.
Lifestyle-Related Care
Sometimes, you need to change your lifestyle in order to avoid bigger health issues later on. You might also have long-term conditions like erectile dysfunction or a potential hormone insufficiency that need to be addressed. Other lifestyle appointments will be about receiving birth control or managing the symptoms of aging. For all of these reasons, you can use a text-based telemedicine appointment.
Laboratory and Imaging Orders
In the past, you had to visit your doctor’s office when you wanted a diagnosis, blood test, or imaging order. However, you can request these types of services by speaking to your doctor online. They can determine whether you need a blood test, X-ray, ultrasound, or similar, and advise you on where and how you can obtain one. By checking your symptoms and current health condition, the physician will be able to choose the best diagnostic tool for your needs.
What Can’t Be Treated?
There are certain conditions that can’t be treated online and will need in-person medical attention. Any time you feel that someone’s life is in danger, you need to seek out an emergency room immediately. This will be the case if the patient is displaying signs of a stroke, they are unconscious, or they have lost a lot of blood.
We also don’t prescribe controlled substances or narcotics, as they can potentially be very harmful to you if you don’t really need them. If you have a severe medical condition that requires you to take such drugs, you will have to see a doctor in person.
What Are the Advantages?
Although you now know that online appointments can work very well, you may wonder why they are superior to in-person sessions. Using telemedicine has many advantages over a regular visit to your doctor’s office. Not only can you avoid the lengthy wait times at your physician’s clinic, but you also won’t need to spend the time driving there. Your appointment is likely to be much more cost-effective, so you can save money in the long run.
No Wait Times
The main reason why most of our patients choose us is that our service eliminates the lengthy wait times you might be experiencing at your regular physician’s office. If you’re looking for a primary care or lifestyle care appointment, you may have to wait for four weeks or more to see a doctor in person, but you can often book with us straight away. That way, you can get the tests, diagnosis, and help you need much faster.
You Don’t Have to Drive to the Clinic
When you’re feeling under the weather, the last thing you want to do is get dressed and drive to the doctor’s office. You might not live very close to your clinic, and the parking there may not be convenient or easy to access. Because of these factors, booking an in-person appointment can often feel daunting. All of this stress is removed when you choose to chat or text with your physician instead, and you can enjoy great medical care without leaving home.
More Cost-Effective
Another key benefit of telehealth appointments is that they are very cost-effective. Your first consultation will come with a flat fee of $55, and this includes follow-up care for one month. That way, you won’t have to pay again if your symptoms worsen or you get side effects from a medication your doctor prescribed.
In addition, you won’t need to worry about paying to travel to your clinic. You’ll save money on gas and the parking fee, which can make an online appointment even more efficient.
Get Seen by an Experienced Doctor Today
Telemedicine is an excellent way to see a doctor, especially if you have a condition that doesn’t require immediate urgent medical attention. The process is very simple, as you only need to download an app and then book yourself in for a consultation. Your doctor will speak to you over chat or text in order to find out what medical needs you have.
With this type of consultation, you can see a physician much faster than you otherwise would, and you don’t have to leave the house while feeling very unwell. It’s also a more cost-effective method in many cases. Call or visit us at Text2MD now to find out how you can book your first appointment with one of our physicians. We will be happy to answer your questions and tell you more about how this booking system can meet your needs.
