Telemedicine Can't Fix Everything. But Can It Help You?
5 Reasons You Might Want to Try a Virtual Visit
Telemedicine has been touted as the next big thing in the delivery of medical care.
What is it? Basically, it’s chatting with a doctor remotely to receive care. With the right conditions, the doctor can gather your story, make a diagnosis and send in a prescription.
Here are 5 reasons you might want to try a virtual visit:
1. Convenience-For certain problems like pink eye, rashes or mild stomach issues. Telemedicine can be a solution that doesn’t require you to get out of your home. Particularly in families with multiple children or in other situation where coming to the office is inconvenient, telemedicine can be a nice solution.
2. Connected care-If mom or dad can’t be present for the visit, no problem. A link can be sent to their email account so that they can join right in.
3. Cost-In today’s world of high deductible insurance plans, telemedicine can be a lower cost option for patients that have appropriate conditions. Not sure? It’s fine to give us a call and let us talk you through whether telemedicine might be an option for you.
4. Triage-If it’s after hours but you’re not sure if you need a visit to the urgent care, telemedicine can be a great option to talk with a doctor and allow them to assess your child to help you determine the right next step.
5. Travel-If you are out of town, telemedicine can be a great way to connect with your doctor or one of their partners. This might allow you to forgo the difficulty of signing up as a new patient or having to take your child to an unfamiliar clinic.
A group of us at Cook Children’s have partnered to provide telemedicine services after hours (6 p.m. to midnight on weekdays and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends) in a commit to providing care to your child in the most efficient and patient friendly means available. If your doctor is participating, you can also discuss with them the availability of virtual appointments during the day.
Here are the list of participating providers:
Get to know Justin Smith, M.D.
Justin Smith, M.D., is a pediatrician and the Medical Advisor for Digital Health for Cook Children's in Fort Worth, Texas. He has an active community on both Facebook and Twitter as @TheDocSmitty and writes weekly for Cook Children's checkupnewsroom.com. He believes that strategic use of social media and technology by pediatricians to connect with families can deepen their relationship and provide a new level of convenience for both of their busy lifestyles.Dr. Smith’s innovative pediatric clinic, a pediatric clinic “designed by you,” is set to open in Trophy Club in 2017.
