Telescope, Telephone, Telemedicine…
How Modern Tech is Making Healthcare more Affordable and Accessible
Technology is an amazing thing! Today, we enjoy access to services which were undreamt of in the past. From the ability to bank securely from your phone, to online education, to streaming full-feature Hollywood movies, to Dick Tracy international video calls that cost nothing and to access to high-quality doctors in a pinch – from anywhere! Telemedicine is changing lives with the ability to provide healthcare to many who would typically ignore issues (because of cost, time or distance) which can become chronic, and saving families thousands of dollars a year. Are you using Telemedicine? If you’re not, you should be!
The Cost of Healthcare
Healthcare is a HUGE topic, because the cost keeps rising, insurance can be too expensive and (due to laws that made practicing medicine unprofitable), many doctors have quit and moved on. This has made future doctors blink, with fewer candidates entering medical school, and the glut grew. There are many areas with no doctors, making seeking treatment for something seemingly easy to treat too much of a burden. Therefore, people self-diagnose, buy over-the-counter remedies and pray. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t – leading to serious, life-threatening conditions costing thousands- to tens-of-thousands of dollars, which could have been avoided if a doctor were available.
The three main reasons people avoid seeking medical attention are:
- Cost: Whether they have no insurance or the co-pay is too high. And, not to forget the cost of any prescription.
- Distance: Since fewer doctors are available, it may mean a long drive to find one. This adds to the cost with gas and having to take time off, causing a loss of wages.
- Time: Since many can’t afford to take time off from work or are too busy, we have a catch 22.
This creates a vicious cycle that may seem innocuous to many, until the exponential affects of leaving things untreated compound into a serious condition which can no longer be avoided. Now, it’s an emergency requiring forced time off, loss of wages and the cost of remedial services that are cost prohibitive.
Save Time, Money and Your Health
But what if? What if you had access to a doctor whenever and WHEREVER you needed one? What if all you had to do was make a virtual appointment on your phone, no longer having to take time off from work and losing money from your paycheck, but it cost you NOTHING for the appointment – a double savings? And, with the proliferation of discount prescription cards and services, and with some pharmacies making certain medication available for FREE, you were able to seek the medical attention you needed without breaking the bank? Would this be something that would help you?
Telemedicine, a Doctor in Your Pocket or Laptop!
When Steve Jobs invented the iPhone, he revolutionized many industries – who knew the medical industry would be one of them! Smartphones are SO powerful today, they are mini-computers with the ability to not only make a call, but to securely connect to a video conference from anywhere a signal is available. And, with the power of today’s computers and HD cameras, any PC becomes an examination room. This has allowed Telemedicine the ability to not only speak with a patient, but to be able to see his or her eyes, nose, mouth, skin, foot, etc. The ability to be in a virtual exam room has made that most common illnesses can be treated, avoiding higher complexities of illness in the future.
How Does it Work?
One of the most popular is MDLIVE, which I’ve been using for over a year now. With MDLIVE, I login to my app or the website if on a PC and request an appointment (video or voice). Then it asks me for any vitals. I whip out my thermometer, take my temperature (and if you’re like me and have a blood-pressure machine at home) I input my blood pressure and pulse.
Then I describe in as much detail as I can my symptoms and what I’ve done:
- What the main problem is (e.g. coughing, fever, rash, sore throat, sneezing, etc.).
- When it started (e.g. 2 days ago…).
- How it has progressed.
- What I have taken (e.g. Tylenol or Advil, Theraflu, etc.)
- Finally, I choose my favorite pharmacy so any prescriptions can be sent in electronically.
Then I submit it. If the doctor is not available immediately, I typically wait no more than an hour and get a notification when the doctor will be ready. When I connect with the doctor, he or she will have reviewed my symptoms and course of action and are ready to look at me via the video, ask their questions and decide whether medication is needed.
In my area, the local supermarket, Publix, gives 14 medications away FREE of charge. This includes seven antibiotics, blood pressure and diabetes medication, and a few others. So, if I need an antibiotic and the doctor agrees one of the freebies will work, the entire consultation and prescription cost me nothing. Therefore, you will want to check if any pharmacy in your area has a similar program.
However, if the prescription is NOT free, I can get a discount RX card like the one recommended by NBFS. The money I saved from going to a doctor’s office (which on average is about $75) will pay for the medication and probably leave some extra cash in my pocket.
Finally, with my daughter away at college, Telemedicine has been a financial, health and SANITY saver! Once she called me with a fever, late at night. I immediately scheduled an appointment for her, sent her the link, and the doctor saw her, PAST MIDNIGHT. The doctor then called in a prescription to the local Publix, and the next morning she had her antibiotic and was on her way to feeling better – GRATIS (I love FREE… it just rolls of my tongue so sweetly)!
So, there you have it! Whether you have insurance or not, a Telemedicine subscription is well worth the investment. These programs average anywhere between $25 to $50 a month for the entire family and are invaluable to have. No cost per consult, for the entire family (even if you’re the Waltons) and unlimited use for a flat fee. If you’re interested in Telemedicine, MDLIVE specifically, contact NBFS for details and pricing. Welcome to the 21st century!
