If you are injured at work or in an auto accident but are stuck at home due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, you may be wondering how you can see a doctor while following directions and staying safe.
Even prior to the rise of coronavirus, the use of telemedicine doctors was on the rise.
Although a visit with a telemedicine doctor is not as up close and personal as a face to face appointment with a doctor in his or her office, in many cases a visit of this sort can be just as useful and effective.
A visit with a doctor via the internet will help keep you safe from contracting COVID-19 in a doctor’s waiting room and will save you a great deal of time and effort when it comes to travel. You will also be helping to keep your doctor safe, so he or she can continue to see patients during this crisis.
You may be apprehensive about the way that a telemedicine visit works, but you shouldn’t be.
Read on to learn all about this wonderful and helpful advancement in the delivery of medical services.
What is Telemedicine?
The concept of telemedicine is not new, but it is more widespread today than ever before. Some medical facilities and organizations first attempted telemedicine as much as fifty years ago to get healthcare to people in rural and isolated areas. They achieved some success, but it was difficult with limited technology.
Today almost every household has a computer, smartphone, or tablet. Through these devices, doctors are able to talk to distant patients face to face in their homes while the doctors are in their offices elsewhere.
Even outside of the coronavirus pandemic, telemedicine can be helpful for both patients and doctors.
Telemedicine visits can be used to offer support in the management of chronic health conditions. They can assist in medication management. It can be used to offer consultations and followup visits, too.
Are Telemedicine Doctors Real Doctors?
In most cases, the doctor that you will see in a telemedicine doctor is a doctor that you have visited in person already.
There are likely some people offering telemedicine services online that are not actual doctors so you should beware.
The majority of telemedicine visits are provided by doctors who already have an established relationship with his or her patient. Telemedicine doctors can also prescribe medications when necessary.
In most cases, telemedicine visits will be covered by workers’ compensation and other insurance plans just like any other medical visit.
What is a Telemedicine Visit Like?
A telemedicine visit will be very similar to any other doctor’s appointment you have experienced other than the fact that you and the doctor are not in the same room.
He or she will ask you questions about your current health and any changes that have occurred since your last visit.
At the end of the visit, the doctor can offer diagnosis and may even prescribe medicine. Follow-up care or another telemedicine visit may be scheduled for the future as well.
Much of what a doctor does in an in-person visit is oral. There is no reason that a doctor cannot develop a diagnosis or opinion via a telemedical visit in many cases.
Lots of medical specialties are starting to use telemedicine, at a trend that is accelerating during the coronavirus pandemic. You probably accepted that someone like a psychologist is set up for telemedicine consultation. Still, other medical specialists like orthopedists, neurologists, and even chiropractors are now starting to routinely use telemedicine and other aspects of telehealth in their practice.
Get Well Soon
Visits with telemedicine doctors can be very effective for you in many circumstances. This type of medical visit can keep you safe at home while also allowing you to meet with your doctor from afar.
You will be amazed by this new technology and you will not feel abandoned during stay-at-home orders. Under a doctor’s supervision, you will get well.
Did you get hurt at work and do you need a worker’s compensation doctor? Please call us today at (877) 682-8037. We are here to help.
NEW: Telemedicine appointments are now available in the safety and comfort of your home.
Call (888) 549-6974 to schedule your virtual consultation or fill out the form below.
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