How Telehealth Works In 7 Simple Steps

Telemedicine is a term often still used when referring to traditional clinical diagnosis and monitoring that is delivered by remote communication technology. ‘Tele’ means distance, so that is where the service gets the name.


However, it seems that the term Telehealth is now more commonly used as it describes the wide range of diagnosis and management, education, and other related fields of health care performed at a distance..

Basically ‘Telehealth’ is when a patient meets with a doctor over a distance.

It can be a Video Visit, a phone call, or even a text message or email. Typically though when doctors or medical professionals say Telehealth they are referring to a video visit.

To make it simpler to understand, here are 7 basic Telehealth steps that patients and doctors go through when using Telehealth.

Step 1. Scheduling

With the use of Telehealth apps, patients can request  a remote appointment with their doctor. The doctor usually has specific hours set aside for the appointments and can confirm the appointment within minutes of the patient requesting.

Step 2. Records

Some important information must be gathered before the appointment. This is often emailed or sent via the app to the doctors office. The benefit of doing a Telehealth appointment with your doctor of record is that all your information is already stored on file.

Step 3. Connect for the Call

Through the use of HIPAA compliant, secure video calls, the doctor can call the patient at the confirmed time. This saves travel time for the patient, as well as reduces waiting room congestion for doctors. Typically a Telehealth call will last 15 minutes sometimes up to an hour for specialists.

Step 4. Diagnosis

The doctors analyze the patients conditions based on the discussion and any records on file. Typical conditions that are treated via Telehealth calls are:

Step 5. Prescribing

The doctor or physician will send a prescription to a pharmacy or give you home care instructions on what to do to reduce your illness.

Step 6 – Payment and Insurance Filing.

Once a Telehealth visit has been completed, the payment can be processed via the app, or the through the medical office. If insurance needs to be filed, there are many providers who will reimburse insurance Telehealth.

Step 7. Follow Up Appointment

The patient follows the doctor’s instructions regarding health and medicine for wellness. This may be a one-off check up or it may be ongoing depending upon the conditions.

These simple 7 steps outline the basics of ‘How Telehealth Works’. For more Telehealth information and resources, visit our articles below:

         
8 Reasons Doctors are using Telehealth services
5 Reasons Why People Choose to Use TeleHealth to Visit their Doctor
5 Ways that Telehealth Saves Time for Doctors and Patients