Modern House Call: A Virtual Visit to the Doctor

Medical History

I have a history of allergies; allergies to dust, mold, pollen, etc. I can't really remove these things from my life; unless I went to live in a bubble. And sometimes a quiet, clean, allergen free bubble sounds pretty good, especially at this time of year.

Historically, April is a rough month for me. Here in MN, the temps are up and down; then it's wet; and then it's dry; then it's windy, and on and on. All of these weather conditions make for a sneezy, snotty, achy, fuzzy, bleary-eyed me.

I really hate to go to the doctor's office, but I've had enough sinus infections in my time to know when it's time to get the big guns to fight this pressurized invasion in my head. Part of the issue is that I can never get into to see "my" doctor. In fact, I haven't seen "my" doctor since 2006. Instead, I've seen others in her clinic or gone to urgent care clinics covered by my insurance for a quick exam and prescription.

Virtual Office Visit    

Well, a month or so ago, while listening to music on Pandora I heard an ad for a virtual medical clinic. I was only vaguely tuned in since I don't really listen to advertisements, but I did wonder about it and made a mental note to look it up sometime.

Then, just a few weeks ago, a friend was explaining how she had been sick right before leaving on a business trip. She didn't have time for a doctor visit, but thought she needed some antibiotics for a sinus infection. So, my friend went to the online medical clinic, answered a series of questions and got the prescription she needed to feel better.

So, last night as I sat blowing my nose, holding my head and feeling lousy from the pressure in my ears and sinus cavities as I have for the last week or so, I remembered this virtual clinic. And I decided I'd give it a try.

After answering a series of general health and medical history questions and specific questions regarding symptoms, completing forms for payment, insurance information and picking my preferred pharmacy, my file was submitted to a nurse practitioner.

Less than 30 minutes later, I received a text and email that my treatment plan was available at the site. My prescription had been sent to the pharmacy and she also suggested other treatments such as steam, saline sprays, etc for the pressure and pain in my head.

There was even a photo and name of the nurse practitioner helping me; complete with a get well soon note and instruction to call the number provided if I'm not better in 3 to 5 days. It was 11:30 on a Sunday night, and I had "been to the doctor" and was about to get started on antibiotics.

Online Medical Options

The service I used was Virtuwell by HealthPartners, a MN based not-for-profit HMO. Virtuwell currently serves residents of MN and WI, as well as those who are traveling in those states.

There is another similar service here in MN called Zipnosis. Zipnosis is a part of Fairview Medical Services. Both Virtuwell and Zipnosis were created with many patient safeguards in place, but they are constantly re-evaluating and making changes as necessary, meeting as often as once a week to discuss cases and issues that have arisen through the week; monitoring clinician and patient practices, etc.

For those in MN, here are a few comparisons:

• Virtuwell costs $40 per "visit" and accepts insurance, but you don't have to have insurance to use this system.
• Zipnosis $25 per "visit", but doesn't accept insurance.
• Both Virtuwell and Zipnosis are available 24 hours per day, 365 days a year
• Zipnosis serves MN residents only.
• Both have treatment plans, which may include antibiotics, to you within 30 minutes
• Both provide follow-up care/information if treatment plan doesn't work
• Virtuwell treats patients 2 years and up
• Zipnosis treats patients 13 years and up
• Both have limited services as to what types of maladies they will treat.
  • Anything other than routine infections and easily diagnosed and treated illnesses, will be referred to see a doctor immediately
• Both allow the patient to upload an image of his or her condition, if a visual is necessary. {For skin issues, etc.}
• Virtuwell is staffed by nurse practitioners
• Zipnosis is staffed by physician assistants

There are a few other websites that charge a yearly fee, plus a fee for each call or a flat fee per visit to connect to a doctor for a video or phone consultation and diagnosis for sick patients outside of MN and WI. If you aren't in MN, check out these online medical clinics:

• Ringadoc; and
• MD Live Care

The Scoop

These services save time, money and energy, allowing a person with or without insurance to get treated for common infections from any location whether work, home or in the middle of a hectic schedule at any time of day or night at an affordable flat fee.

There is also room for misdiagnosis and/or misuse of this virtual medical clinic model. Of course, there is always a chance of misdiagnosis and abuse of the system {someone trying to acquire prescriptions for the wrong reasons} should someone go to a clinic and physically see a doctor, as well.

I think that each person must use his or her 6^th sense about whether he or she is really ill with odd, inconsistent or serious symptoms and decide whether to go to their doctor, urgent care or an ER. If not, then this convenient, highly monitored system is probably a good idea for your run-of-the-mill, irritating infections. But I don't think I'll use it for my kids unless it's middle of the night, raging ear infection, etc.

Have you used these services? What's your take on them? Over and out...

Anna

 

 

Comments

[Kate]

We have several 24 hr Urgent Cares in our city and my co-pay would be cheaper than the $40 so I wouldn't personally use this. But I can see how it's helpful for people in smaller communities or without insurance. However, as a past social worker, I am terrified at the abuse these programs will endure. Prescription drug use is rampant in the US and this makes it just that much easier to avoid doctors but get what you "need". Scary in my opinion.

[Kevin]

Kevin from virtuwell here. Thanks for your comment, Kate, and for your post, Anna. Kate, you raise an important point about prescriptions. We share your concern about abuse and we talk about it the FAQ section at virtuwell.com.

HealthPartners has been caring for people in our clinics and hospitals for more than five decades. So when we designed virtuwell, we did it as a health care provider dedicated to patient safety and the health of our community. At virtuwell.com, we only treat minor, everyday conditions. These are conditions that we know we can treat safely and reliably online and don’t require a physical exam or a lab test. That means we don’t treat things like pneumonia (that need a doctor’s exam) or strep throat (because of labs needed). We prescribe simple, over-the-counter, prescription-strength medications like antibiotics for sinus infections and bladder infections, antivirals for the flu and antifungal creams for skin rashes. We don’t prescribe lifestyle medications (e.g. birth control pills, erectile dysfunction medication) or drugs that can be addictive and are controlled by the Drug Enforcement Agency (e.g. narcotics). And we have monitoring systems in place set up to detect potential abuse of the medications we do prescribe, as well as hundreds of safety protocols throughout our service.

So while we don’t treat everything, virtuwell is a great option for the conditions we do treat. We’re proud to say that 25,000 customers in Minnesota and Wisconsin have used virtuwell and 98 percent say they’d recommend us to friends and family. They also tell us they’ve saved an average of 2.5 hours per visit vs. an in-person visit. And if a customer’s symptoms are beyond what virtuwell can treat safety and effectively, there's no charge and we’re happy to help you find appropriate in-person care, as we done tens of thousands of times. We simply want people to get the safest, most affordable and most convenient care possible.

Thanks again for your interest and for the discussion. Please get in touch with us at [email protected] if we can tell you more. Thanks!