The next time you need to - but don't want to - go to the doctor for something simple, type your way to the clinic.
Healthcare business expert Todd Furniss of gTC says "With the advent of Covid, there has been a big migration to telehealth - exchanging information between patient and physician through the web with emails and text messages." He adds that some groups still don't want to be billed for this service. "They gotta have a way to get paid for it! IF they're not doing that - they could be billing for something else or carrying out their duties otherwise."
More patients than ever are skipping a trip to the clinic and sending a text or email instead. Furniss says clinics and independent practices are being interrupted every day with these commands. "You've got an 8 year old with a runny nose and a cough. Everything else seems to be fine. You don't have to go through all the issues of getting in the car, finding a parking spots, waiting in the waiting room - will all the other coughing patients. It's a 2-minute issue to be taken care of by the doctor - or even the nurse!"
Furniss feels they should be compensated, but your insurance may not have a code for it yet. He also admits that some doctors are suffering from the stress of a quick response that's expected from them.
Medicare and Medicaid are already onboard.
photo:Getty
doctor answering an email with symptoms from patientPhoto: Getty Images