Have You Ever Used A Telemedicine Company Before?

I sat on the exam table in front of my family doctor, and asked what he thought about telemedicine, as I looked at his antiquated exam room. He held my chart in his lap, as he sat on the exam stool. A thick, 2-hole punch file folder. Somewhere in the cavern he calls a file room, are several others that belong to me as well. My files go back 30-years with this man. He was the staff physician at the very first nursing facility I worked for after I graduated from nursing school His bedside manner with his patients is what drew me to him. He truly cared for each and every one of them. His office walls are covered with the bits of bric-a-brac his patients have given him over the years as their way of showing their affection for him.

As I looked at him, I realized he'd grown old these last 30 years. His hair, once dark brown is now white, as is my own. We both show our miles. Yet we had become so different. As a nurse, I was forced to embrace technology many years ago. Paper charts giving way to computers. Computers at a nursing station soon became computers at the patient's bedside. And more and more patients began to stay home for their nursing care. Which required yet another change. Home Health Nursing appeared. And then a Nursing Care Team, which included a Care Manager who oversaw the entire nursing process of the in home "client", no longer called a patient. The latter having been my last position as a nurse. He however, had stuck to what he had known. Practicing family medicine in his, now antiquated, own way.

"Well, what do you think about it, Doc?" I asked again.

"Have you ever used a telemedicine company before?" he asked me. A look of intense interest was on his face. I felt like he really wanted to know, but just so he could say something like, "I knew they wouldn't be any good!" But if he thought that, he kept it to himself.

"Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I have. A couple of times," I answered.

"And what did you think about the care you received?" he asked.

And so I told him. On my last "visit" with the telemedicine company, I had woke at 3 a.m. to use the bathroom (okay, so I'm getting older, I've had five kids, and my bladder, well she ain't what she used to be!) The first second I started urinating I knew I was in trouble. Most women will relate to my story. Intense burning and pain followed. And the urgency to continue to go did not stop when the flow did.

I hoped just drinking a lot of water would flush my kidneys and urethra clean and the feeling would go away. So at 3 a.m. I was opening bottles of Dasani (my preference folks) and downing them. Unfortunately, the more fluid I took in, the more came out, and the pain and burning only worsened.

Finally at 7 a.m. I gave in and called my telemedicine provider. I reached an automated line that asked if I knew who I wanted to see, or if I would rather see the next available physician. By now I was in agony, so I chose whoever could speak to me the soonest. My telephone number was confirmed and I was told a physician would call me back within an hour.

15-minutes exactly passed when my phone rang. A kind male voice was on the other end of the line. He introduced himself and read from the complaint I had made regarding my symptoms. He asked me some pertinent questions: how long had I had the symptoms and if I was running a fever among several. He stated matter-of-factly that he felt I had a simple urinary tract infection. He told me the name of the medication and dosage he was going to order. He confirmed the pharmacy I had chosen. And then asked if I had any questions. He was certain to tell me to take all of the antibiotics. And he warned that if the symptoms persisted after finishing the antibiotics I should see my family physician as I would need a urinalysis to determine if it was more than a simple UTI (urinary tract infection). The call was over by 7:25.

The pharmacy didn't open until 8 a.m. We live a half hour away from the pharmacy. My husband was there when they opened for business that day. They filled my order first. By 8:30 a.m. I was taking my first dose of antibiotic, and by evening my symptoms were under control and I felt like a new woman!

"Really?" my physician said. "Well, that is amazing! Imagine how wonderful that would be for colds and such!" He exclaimed. "And can you imagine a new mother, with her first baby, running a fever in the middle of the night? She could call there instead of that midnight run to the ER! Or what about the family with Grandpa or Grandma who just insist they don't need to see a doctor, but really do? Why, they can be seen using a webcam!"

"A what?" I asked, totally amazed that the old fella even knew what a webcam was!

"Well, I might be a bit slow, but I'm not totally out of the loop you know!" (He's Scottish and when his ire is up, he reminds me of Sean Connery. Insert that voice here.)

"Oh no, Doc! I never thought you were!"  I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

"I'd suppose it would cost a pretty penny though for a service like that?" he asked.

"Well, as a matter of fact, $34.99 covers both me and my entire household. With no deductibles or copays."

"Well, now, you know golf is my game, so see how many people you can enroll. You get enough, and I just might have time for a few extra rounds a week!"

Health Alliance Network is a company I chose to represent because I'm also a client. I stand behind the company 100%. I use them. I've seen them at work. When offered the opportunity to own an agency with them, I jumped at the opportunity. Why? Because I wanted to work at something that I could endorse personally. I wanted to work for a company that truly wanted to help people.

You see, I don't have any health insurance. It costs me $75 cash to just walk into my doctors office. And there have been many times, I simply didn't go to the doctor, even when I knew I needed medication, simply because I didn't have the money. But for $34.99 a month, I can afford to call Health Alliance Network and get the care I need.

This is a company that wants to make healthcare affordable for the people again. And provide them with a quality of care that they can receive right from their own phone and know they will be taken care of.

We can help you today. Simply visit our website HERE  for more information. Or feel free to email me personally and I will answer any questions you may have: cynthiahenry@consultant.com

Let us be there for you.