Have you ever wanted to see a doctor when you were sick, but didn’t have the energy to get out of bed to get there? You may not realize there is a convenient and affordable option available that allows you to manage your health right from the comfort of your own home. It is known as telemedicine.
You may be wondering, what is telemedicine and could it work for me? The telemedicine definition is the use of telecommunication and information technology to evaluate, treat and diagnose patients remotely. There are a number of advantages of telemedicine and the top six telemedicine benefits for patients can be found here:
- Telemedicine services can save you time. Telemedicine services allow you to connect with your doctor over the telephone or through videoconferencing software on your computer or smartphone. This eliminates the time spent traveling to and from the doctor’s office and sitting in the waiting room. You can also be confident that telemedicine technologies will maintain your privacy as they must meet the requirements of the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
- Telemedicine services can save you money. A trip to the doctor could mean that you need to take a vacation day or be forced to pay for child or elder care services. The cost of a missed day of work or care for family members can quickly add up. A telemedicine visit would eliminate these fees. Telemedicine appointments can be more affordable than a visit to a doctor or urgent care facility and it is a great alternative if you do not have health insurance.
- Telemedicine companies offer increased flexibility. It can often take weeks or even months to schedule an appointment with a doctor, specifically a specialist. Telemedicine services are often available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which makes it easier for you to schedule an appointment when it works best for you.
- Telemedicine services can be used to treat a wide-array of medical problems. Whether you have an ear infection or a chronic disease, telemedicine can be successfully used to treat these concerns. Telemedicine can be used for non-emergency medical ailments such as a sore threat, headaches, asthma and pink eye, among others. It can also be used for post-surgery follow-up visits as well as for medication management. In terms of chronic disease management, high-tech medical devices enable doctors to manage patients remotely as this technology can give them access to blood pressure, glucose levels and more.
- Improved health. The convenience and flexibility of telemedicine makes it possible for patients to meet with their doctors more frequently. A telemedicine visit also eliminates the need to sit in a waiting room filled with other sick patients who could potentially expose you to a host of other illnesses.
- Increased access to specialists. Imagine you were suffering from a rare illness that was relatively unknown by your doctor. If there was a doctor who specialized in treating it, but they were located more than 300 miles away, wouldn’t you still want to be treated by the more experienced doctor? Telemedicine makes that possible.
These benefits are just some of the reasons that telemedicine is growing in popularity. While the pros of telemedicine are clear, there are some disadvantages to telemedicine such as the fact that some health ailments require an in-person visit or the fact that not every doctor offers telemedicine services.
While there are telemedicine pros and cons, the telemedicine benefits such as the convenience, cost-effectiveness and flexibility are hard to overlook. To learn more about the telemedicine options that are available to you, you can contact your doctor, hospital or healthcare provider or consider a private telemedicine provider that contracts on-call doctors and specialists.
There are multiple benefits to having a telemedicine plan so why not purchase one today? Telemedicine plans from Freeway Insurance are affordable and convenient. Learn more about our telemedicine plans and purchase a telemedicine plan online or over the phone at (800) 777-5620.
