Medical experts have been searching for an efficient online replacement for walk-in urgent care centers for years. Telemedicine not only makes urgent care more accessible for patients but also allows doctors to see more patients daily and shorten wait times for everyone.
What is Telemedicine?
The application of technology to distant healthcare is known as telemedicine (telehealth). In essence, it allows doctors to use a computer or smartphone to treat patients at home.
Here are several scenarios when telemedicine can be a great complement to the current healthcare system:
- Questions regarding various medical conditions and possible home remedies
- Check-ins or follow-ups for chronic care after treatment
- Shorter wait times for prescription refills
So how does telehealth relate to telemedicine, and how does it operate? It’s straightforward to use telemedicine services. Patients give basic health information when requesting a visit, and the doctor either accepts it or rejects it, or schedules it for a later time.
Although telemedicine is an excellent tool, it might only be appropriate for some settings or practices. Consider your patient’s needs and whether it is a perfect time to use the technology before using it. A telemedicine demonstration can help you learn more.
What is Urgent Care?
Going to an urgent care facility when you require immediate medical care for a severe sickness or accident would be best. If you have a specific illness that isn’t life-threatening but still requires close attention, you’d want to turn to an urgent care facility.
Physicians are always present at urgent care facilities. The machinery present at general hospitals is always present. This could mean X-ray machines and even ultrasound machines. No expense is spared just because you are using a different facility.
Urgent care only deals with specific patients. Because of this, they can reduce costs. Hence it is much cheaper than general emergency care. Usually, patients would be sent to an emergency room for a minor injury and the costs pile up as if the injury were fatal. Often this may lead to medical debt.
The emergency rooms are now free for patients with more dire illnesses. As a result, the staff in the emergency room can concentrate on patients who require urgent medical attention. This is why they are slowly becoming wildly available.
How can They Work Together?
For Non-Emergency Circumstances
Choose a consultation with a telemedicine doctor if you have a problem that doesn’t require emergency treatment to receive telemedicine urgent care without having to leave your house.
In addition to providing many other services that patients receive during an in-person session, doctors can provide treatment recommendations, handle medication refill requests, and perform other tasks during these visits.
For a Minor, Non-Life-Threatening Disease
During a video conference with a doctor, joint diseases, including the flu, allergy symptoms, and rashes, can be treated online. They can provide simple telemedicine consultations to diagnose a wide range of common conditions and dispense prescriptions.
While your doctors provide medical guidance via a computer, tablet, cell phone, or any other device that allows access to video and audio functions, patients may concentrate on rest and recovery.
You must specify your symptoms because the doctor cannot physically check for all the signs you might have. The ones that are not that obvious. Due to this, the diagnosis may sometimes be unreliable. This is why it is better to go for more minor diseases.
When Leaving the House is an Issue
The possibility of contracting the coronavirus has made it harder and harder for elderly and immune-challenged people in recent months to leave their homes. Those who have issues with traveling might need help to gain assistance.
For any of these reasons, meeting with a telemedicine doctor may be the ideal choice if you find it difficult to leave your house. Whether a patient has medical insurance or not, our professionals at urgent care facilities strive to provide care as swiftly and affordably as possible. Treating patients who cannot see their healthcare professional in person has become much more straightforward.
Conclusion
The cost of medical treatment can be cut in half compared to walk-in clinic visits by visiting a telemedicine doctor via video conference. All the advantages can be provided to patients needing urgent care by the telemedicine doctors at your nearest urgent care facility.
Author: Elizabeth Howard
Lizzie Howard is a Colorado native who after graduating from the University of Colorado spends her time as a freelance writer. When Lizzie isn’t writing, she enjoys going on hikes, baking for her friends and family, and spending time with her beloved yellow lab, Sparky.
