While we readily see the places the covid-19 pandemic has led to lose, there are also great gains that have been made since March 2020. One of those gains has been in the realm of telemedicine.

Telemedicine has quickly risen from an interesting new concept to a staple of healthcare service. Studies have shown a remarkable rise in the use of telehealth services, and that rise appears to be here to stay.

At Live Urgent Care, we offer a wide variety of telehealth services. Anything from skincare and hair loss to UTIs and ED can be easily treated with a quick virtual visit.

If you find yourself hesitant about using telemedicine services, you may be missing out on a wide variety of benefits. Some of the top benefits of telemedicine are listed below.

Flexible Scheduling

Getting an appointment with a doctor can be tricky. Many offices limit the number of patients seen in a day, particularly in light of covid restrictions. These limits generally do not impact telemedicine appointments.

Not only is your appointment more flexible, but fewer factors go into you making your appointment. Instead of getting in the car, setting up your GPS, dealing with traffic, and then checking in, you simply open up your laptop or grab your phone and begin your video conference.

This benefit is particularly important for those who need to think about childcare. Instead of taking a day off from work or paying extra for a sitter, telemedicine allows you to seamlessly fit your needed appointment into your day.

Less Time Spent Waiting

When most people think of a doctor’s office, they usually think of the waiting room. We can all think back on childhood moments where it seemed like we waited an eternity for the doctor to finally see us. With telemedicine, that wait time can be dramatically reduced.

This benefit is closely related to flexibly scheduling but appears in more places. Not only can you generally make whatever appointment time you’d like, but you do not have to spend time in a waiting room.

With many on-demand options available, you can see a healthcare provider who is standing by ready for your call at any time of day. This even creates less waiting for in-person patients as telemedicine appointments are usually quicker than standard visits.

Less Spread of Disease

One important lesson of the covid-19 pandemic has been the power of social distancing. By simply keeping away from others when possible, many vulnerable people have been kept safe from the spread of this deadly virus.

Telemedicine enables patients to get the healthcare they need without unnecessary time spent in a waiting room surrounded by sick people. This has the power to cut down the spread of infectious diseases that can be transmitted while in a doctor’s office or hospital. For most minor issues, telemedicine is the statistically safer way to receive treatment.

Access to Specialists

In some instances, an appointment with a specialist can go a long way. Many have experienced the stress of going to a primary care doctor, receiving a recommendation to see a specialist, and then waiting months to get in with that doctor.

With the efficiency of telemedicine, specialists are now more accessible than ever. Many specialists now offer telemedicine consultations, allowing you to get the initial screening you need quicker. It has also made it faster to get a referral to a particular specialist as that can now be done via a telemedicine appointment.

Better Health

Ultimately in healthcare, the real goal is getting the best care possible. All the convenience of telemedicine would not be worth it if it meant worse care. Fortunately, telemedicine appointments yield better, more efficient care.

The better care is the result of two main factors. First, the provider gets to see you in your normal environment. This generally makes patients feel more relaxed and gives providers deeper insight into a patient’s lifestyle.

Second, it is easier to do preventative work. The hassle of simply getting to the doctor leads many to put it off longer than advisable. With telemedicine appointments, the convenience leads to more preventative care, ultimately creating a healthier you.

You can visit our telemedicine page to see the wide variety of services we offer in our virtual visits. You can also use that page to book your appointment and start taking control over your health.