- Dr. Ian Hamilton is Medical Director of Account Management for BlueCross BlueShield in Tennessee.
- Dr. Ian Hamilton is Medical Director of Account Management for BlueCross BlueShield in Tennessee.
I am often asked to travel to meet with employers who offer Blue Cross insurance to their employees. Not too long ago, I was in Memphis for just such a conference. However, after arriving at the hotel the night before, I started experiencing upper respiratory symptoms, cough, and body aches.
These aren't the kind of symptoms you can shake off, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic and being so close to other people, and there was hope that they would be gone by morning. Since I lived in a new town, I couldn't call my primary care provider's office and ask them to adjust me.
I didn't even have a thermometer. But as a doctor, I knew my symptoms weren't urgent enough to warrant a trip to the local hospital's emergency room.
Luckily, I was able to schedule a virtual care appointment on the spot. Within minutes, I was able to meet my doctor and explain my symptoms in a safe and secure way using my smartphone. This health care provider prescribed Tamiflu and advised me to call the pharmacy around the corner from my hotel and rest without risking making others sick. The next morning I felt well enough to attend the meeting.
How to overcome doubts about virtual visits
I share this story to illustrate the convenience and quality of virtual care. In my situation it was a game changer. Without telemedicine options, you likely would have visited an urgent care center, experienced long wait times, and faced even higher bills. Urgent care would have taken up far more time than the virtual call itself. This is the time when I needed to take a break and hope for the effects of my prescription.
Although virtual care has become increasingly popular in recent years, skepticism remains about its effectiveness. Here are some of his BlueCross approaches to dispelling this stigma:
- Partner with virtual care services
- Integrate it with BCBSTN mobile app,
- A virtual visit is an ideal starting point to share with members common symptoms such as cold, flu, and sinus infection symptoms such as cough, sneezing, runny nose, fever, sore throat, headache, and body aches. It becomes.
Our goal is for our members to not only schedule virtual care visits when they need them, but also to use the app to build an ongoing relationship with their primary care physician (PCP) when one is not available. It is to encourage establishment. This includes scheduling preventive care visits where a physician or their team can order tests, screenings, and x-rays based on a particular member's consultation needs. Of course, these are done outside the member's home, but results are usually available within 48 hours and can be confirmed in another virtual visit.
Virtual care is also ideal for many mental health care needs. Easy access and no need to drive, park, or sit in a waiting room. It's all done in the privacy of your home. With BlueCross, our virtual service providers can provide mental health counseling and prescription medications as deemed appropriate by the treatment provider.
Virtual care does not replace doctors, but it creates access
To make virtual care truly effective, we encourage members to take some steps on the front end before they feel sick.
Download the BCBSTN app and create an account for you and your family. That way, if you or your child is sick, you don't have to take the 10-15 minutes to pre-register. The time it takes for a member to speak with a doctor on the phone or on screen is consistently between 5 and 15 minutes.
Also, have your local pharmacy's address and contact information handy so you can easily call to fill your prescription.
It is important to remember that virtual care is not intended to replace urgent care or urgent care. During your virtual visit, your doctor can still recommend these services if needed.
Virtual care focuses on improving access to care by removing barriers such as transportation, busy schedules, cost, and even stigma.
Dr. Ian Hamilton is Medical Director of Account Management for BlueCross BlueShield in Tennessee.
