Your Questions, Answered: How (and When!) to Visit the Doctor’s Office Remotely — The Seam
In the past few months, though it has felt like a lifetime, we have seen the greatest expansion of telehealth since the first telephone was used to perform doctor-to-patient consults in the late 1950s. With a growing number of providers now offering some form of telephone or video consult to meet the needs of the global pandemic, many patients are left with questions surrounding the use, cost and safety of telehealth visits. 1. When should I use telehealth? Telehealth medicine ca n be incredibly convenient and time saving when a patient is in need of a referral to a specialist, requires a quick evaluation and medication prescription, or when unsure if they should seek more emergent medical care. Roughly 30% of emergency room visits are non-urgent. However, patients often inappropriately utilize the ER because they require medical attention after hours or because they lack access to specialists or other providers. With the expanse of nurse help lines and video ca...