Everything You Need to Know About Telemedicine

A Brief History

More than forty years ago, hospitals began seeing demonstrations in response to growing concerns from rural patients who struggled to get timely medical advice. This movement sparked the development of a system designed to harness the speed and convenience of electronic communication—delivering essential medical guidance to patients, no matter how far away they might be.

Since then, the telemedicine industry has mobilized a growing number of resources including smartphone, email, two-way video and wireless communication technology to provide a convenient means of extended care to patients who are located in remote rural areas. Fast forward to today, where telemedicine providers like Teladoc Health offer fully integrated national scale networks. High quality providers will feature a professional network of U.S. board-certified physicians who make use of multiple technological formats to diagnose, recommend treatment and write short-term, non-DEA-controlled prescriptions, when appropriate.

What Can Telemedicine Be Used For?

The telamedicine system is not designed to be a substitute to any primary health care provider. Rather, it functions as a secondary service when a regular health care provider is not available. Patients in remote or hard to reach areas get to speak to a U.S. board-certified physician who is qualified to give a real diagnosis and write certain prescriptions. These services give subscribers the peace of mind of knowing that they can still access the non-emergency medical services that they need even when their regular provider isn’t available. In other words, these services are designed to complement those of a standard medical provider. They are ideal for people or families who are travelling away from home or on vacation, freelance workers who may frequently be out of town or anybody who resides in a relatively remote locale. As such, telemedicine is a safe option for non-emergency medical care including:

• Sinus infections
• Respiratory conditions
• Urinary tract infections
• Allergies
• Bronchitis
• Sore throat
• Pink eye
• Cold or flu

Why It’s Good to Have Telemedicine Services on Your Side

One of the best things about Telemedicine is it provides access to doctors online even when typical phone services are not available. This means that all that patients will need to access telemedical services is a working phone or internet connection. In general, patients can expect to speak to a doctor in 30 minutes or less, who will assess the situation and the appropriate way to proceed from there. That said, it should be noted that the quality of services will certainly vary from provider to provider, and users should be wary of sites masquerading as telemedicine providers. Alliance Health members get 24/7 access to a doctor via phone, web or app with no copays or consultation fees. Whether you are a freelancer, small business owner, are employed in service or simply want to make sure your family is looked after, we the added benefits that you need at prices you can afford. Join today and you’ll be able to access this benefit virtually anywhere that there is a working phone or internet connection, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And if you’re already a member, make sure you have set up your telemedicine benefit. You’ll find instructions in our Member Portal.