It’s 6 pm on Friday. Your 3 year old little boy started running a 102 fever, and has a runny nose and slight cough. Do you load him up along with your other children and head to urgent care before they close at 8 pm or can you wait out the weekend and possibly get in on Monday with your regular health care provider?
You’re a diabetic. Your blood sugars seem to be fluctuating more than usual and you don’t know what to do to better manage them. Your follow up appointment isn’t for another 2 months but you’re not sure you should wait until then to discuss how to get your sugars down.
You have blood drawn and are told you have abnormal results and need a follow up appointment with your primary care provider to discuss results. This means, more time off work, sitting in a waiting room with sick people, and what seems like a lot of hassle.
These are all scenarios I hear about within our family practice on a regular basis. Unfortunately until recently, all of those scenarios would have likely ended in inconvenience and dissatisfaction.
In the old days, family practice meant you had one doctor for the whole family and he or she would be available 24/7. They would deliver your babies, admit you to the hospital, and care for you whether it was day or night. Unfortunately today healthcare just isn’t that simple any more. We now have specialists for every problem, hospitalists for hospital admissions, and often wait times up to 4 weeks just to see your family health care provider. As a patient it often feels you have no connection with your health care provider.
This is why our practice has recently adopted a new way for our patients to always feel connected to us. It’s simple, affordable, and very convenient. It’s something called E-Visits. E-visits are designed to always keep you connected to us, your primary care providers. You simply log on, create a free account, and sign up for a video chat visit when you are ready or in need. Skip the waiting room. Ditch the drive. Connect with us via tablet, computer, or smartphone anywhere. Here’s the best part: most major insurances cover video chats the same as if you see us in person! Ready to sign up? Simply go here to create a free account.
What are good visits for E-visits? Here are just a few examples:
-After-Hours Questions/Illness
-Seasonal Allergies
-Pink Eye
-Urinary Tract Infections
-Rash
-Diabetes management
-Blood Pressure Management
-Medication Refills
-Abnormal Lab Follow-up
-Depression/Anxiety
We are excited for this new adventure in our practice! We truly believe it helps improve patient care, which is always our top priority. If you want, take a look at this quick video explaining E-Visits.
As always stay connected with us anytime via Facebook or by calling our office with any questions at 417-332-3639.
Stay tuned for more blogs in the future to help your family stay happy and healthy!
Carolyn Clark, NP-C