What is Telemedicine? And How Can It Improve Your Healthcare Experience?
Many people assume that telemedicine is a new phenomenon. Although it has changed with digital technology, you might be surprised to learn that telemedicine has been around long before smartphones (or the internet, for that matter)!
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine is a type of healthcare service where medical providers serve patients remotely rather than in person. Providers can often diagnose, suggest treatment options, or prescribe medications right over the phone through an app! This can save you save time and money seeking help for primary care needs.
While telemedicine may sound like a new idea, it has actually been around since the 1950’s. The telephone landline was the first form of telemedicine that allowed healthcare providers to serve their patients from a distance. (Although no one called it ‘telemedicine’ back then.) Patients could call their doctor, describe their symptoms, and get answers to a few questions.
Flash-forward to the 21st century… As internet technology has advanced, telemedicine now includes a variety of innovative services. For example, patients can video call with healthcare providers or share pictures of skin conditions or injuries.
4 Ways Telemedicine Improves Modern Healthcare
1. Less Stress for Simple Healthcare Needs
Let’s say you’re planning to travel for Christmas soon, but you and your kids have caught a terrible bug. Nothing kills the Christmas spirit like having to pile up sick kids and sit in a doctor’s waiting room. Instead, you call up your primary care provider and discuss your symptoms. Next thing you know…BAM! He’s called in the prescription to your local pharmacy. You cruise through the pharmacy drive-thru and grab a hot chocolate on the way home, without having to unbuckle sick kids from their carseats.
2. Access To Medical Help After Hours
Most doctors don’t want to work night and day. But the problem is…you’re a working adult too, and it’s hard to take time off work. If you’re suffering from something like back pain or allergies, it can take weeks to make the time to see a doctor. The good new is, certain telemedicine providers (like Alive & Well) function 24/7. They can fill a gap for questions after hours that aren’t emergencies, so you can get help on your own time.
3. Avoiding Contamination
The COVID-19 pandemic opened many doctors’ and patients’ eyes to the gift of telemedicine. When people were staying at home and didn’t want to spread or catch the virus, they could get healthcare from home. Having access to a medical professional over text, phone, or video call saves you the risk of picking up whatever germs other patients are bringing to a medical center. (Of course, certain emergency medical needs must be treated in the ER or urgent care. However, a telemedicine provider can often tell you whether you need to go to an urgent care or clinic at all, or if it’s something they can help you with remotely.)
5. Saving Yourself (Lots of) Time
Suppose you wake up and one of your eyes is feeling unusually sensitive and drippy. You suspect Pink Eye and would like to get it treated. You can call a telemedicine provider and turn on a video or text a picture to show them that troublesome eye. It generally takes just a peek by a trained professional to diagnose that and order a prescription for it, if it is indeed Pink Eye. If that is the case, no house call is needed. So, there you go. You have just saved time traveling to urgent care services, sitting in the waiting room, etc, and THEN getting the prescription.
Telemedicine + Direct Primary Care is Your Best Solution
Telemedicine is even more rewarding when you can reach your own primary care provider over the phone. When you call, you’re speaking with someone who already knows you. You don’t have to repeatedly explain your situation to new people over the phone, because they have notes about your concerns and progress. Primary care providers are your go-to for just about any healthcare question. They can follow up on your ongoing care and make sure you get the help you need.
Alive & Well is a direct primary care (DPC) practice that incorporates telemedicine to provide the best healthcare experience for its members. Our founder, J.R. Martin, PA-C, has been incorporating telemedicine into his Utah DPC practice for nearly a decade. We even offer house calls, where a licensed professional can treat you in the comfort of your own home! For example, if our team decides that a cut could use a stitch or two, we can often come to you.
Our practice provides a variety of routine care services for a very affordable monthly membership fee. Please be advised though that DPC is not insurance. However, it can save you bundles of money on basic healthcare.
J.R.’s commitment to DPC and telemedicine is so strong that he made a presentation at Harvard University three or so years ago to describe how telemedicine, in tandem with DPC, is a fantastic solution for many of the healthcare problems in the U.S. today. >> Read more about J.R.’s story here.
A few members of Alive & Well have shared their experiences in Google Reviews:
“In a small city like St. George, available after hours healthcare services are slim to none. We called Alive and Well at 10:30 p.m. needing help and received a fast response from staff member J.R. Martin, P.A. [He] was patient, positive, and professional in his approach. His ability to quickly diagnose the condition and recommend treatment options was simply impressive. This was our first experience using a mobile healthcare service. The model proved to be fast, efficient and effective.” – Chad Wimpey
“Alive & Well has been a great service for our family. It has saved us so much money on health care. The convenience to be able to call a medical professional and get the help we need without having to drag the whole family down to the doctor office is life-changing.” – Ilija Vrajich
What telemedicine isn’t right for
Even with the convenience of telemedicine, some situations always call for emergency, in-person treatment. Clearly, if you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, or have sustained a serious injury such as a broken hip and are literally unable to get up off the floor, it’s NOT time to call your family physician. THAT is when it’s time to call 911!
Symptoms of a heart attack
Pain, tightness, pressure or an aching, squeezing sensation in your chest.or arms. Those sensations may also spread to your jaw, neck or back.
Shortness of breath
Nausea, heartburn, indigestion or abdominal pain - In this case, you may be able to make a telemedicine call to determine if this could be an indicator of something else.
Cold sweat
Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness
Symptoms of a stroke
Numbness of weakness in your face, arm or leg. It will most likely occur on one side of your body.
Difficulty with walking; loss of balance or coordination
Confusion; difficulty with speaking or understanding speech
Difficulty with seeing with one or both eyes
These are just two examples of true emergencies that are not best served by telemedicine. For other everyday medical concerns or questions, telemedicine can often save you time and money, and get you the healthcare you need faster.