One of the dilemmas of being sick is having to visit a doctor. It’s really quite funny, the fact that you’re incapable of going to school or going in to work, but you need to get out of bed anyway to get better. This is why telehealthcare is so wonderful and useful.
And while the pandemic has made things horrid on many fronts, we’ve got to applaud it for making online doctor consultations so much more mainstream.
Nowadays, you can get a doctor’s advice online, via a phone call or video consultation, for a number of medical conditions, including psychiatric issues. Moreover, you can also get medication prescribed or refilled, which is incredibly convenient. All you need to do is keep the following things in mind.
The Laws of Your State
For starters, you may need to find out what’s permissible within your state. While the federal policy is flexible with regards to telemedicine, it leaves a lot of room for individual states to have their own restrictions and limitations.
Some conditions cannot be e-prescribed and require an in-person assessment. Additionally, a lot of states may consider a prescription only valid after at least one proper evaluation, in person or online.
For prescription refills, you may not need a proper evaluation at all with a doctor and some online care staff could probably cater to you, given that it’s valid within the state.
Find A Reliable Tele Health Service
Because you’re not personally visiting a hospital or going to a practitioner’s office, it may be harder to assess the quality of services and the level of experience and expertise. But since this is about your health, it’s important to book an online consultation with a reputable telehealth service, preferably through a reference.
Once you’ve found a reliable online service, check the services log to see what kind of illnesses they cater to and what options they offer for the consultation, i.e., phone, video or any other communication channel.
Then book an appointment and fill out any required forms.
You May Need to Get Tested
Even with an online consultation, diagnostic tests may still be required, in which case you may need to head over to a nearby lap or service center to take the test or give blood samples, or so on. However, during the pandemic, home-testing has also become more accessible, in which case you can just get tested at home and receive the results online.
Once you have the test results, the doctor may require you to come in for another consultation before prescribing medication. Once you have the prescription, you can get medicine from a nearby pharmacy or get it through a mail-order service.
If you feel like you need an online consultation for a prescription, let us know. Our virtual doctors are available for online medical consultations and can prescribe medication for a number of conditions, including hypertension and pain relief medication.
Get in touch right away to set up an appointment.