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Teladoc virtual visits redefines medical care post-pandemic
Six years ago a house call from a doctor was redefined - and Grace Silverio found herself navigating some uncharted waters.
FOX 2 - The way we communicate has gone through some drastic changes thanks in part to the pandemic.
The backstory:
That change has led some to new opportunities for businesses and offers convenience for customers.
Chances are you’ve made a video call or two in the last five years a technological advancement that really thrived during the pandemic.
That tech continues to thrive when it comes to health care with patients being able to get on-demand care from the comfort of home and for a lot of people this service is covered by insurance - saving you time and money.
Six years ago a house call from a doctor was redefined - and Grace Silverio found herself navigating some uncharted waters.
"Being a nurse for almost 18 years, I did bedside nursing," said Silverio, the director of Solution Strategy Teladoc Health. "That’s what I knew, going to the office, brick and mortar, seeing a primary care provider, not much in the virtual space until the pandemic hit."
She quickly learned that a virtual visit from a health provider like Teladoc has advantages. For one, it opens up access.
"There are people in rural areas or that don't have providers readily available," she said. "They have to wait long times. There's such long wait times just to make an appointment."
Teladoc is built around the idea of convenience, saving time by allowing the patient to stay home and saving money on gas.
"You can schedule them in the evenings and the weekends," she said.
That flexibility is what initially attracted customers like Armando Alvarez.
A few years ago he learned a Teladoc visit was covered by his wife’s insurance.
"If it’s free, yeah, let's go," said Alvarez.
As a person with Type 2 diabetes, he appreciates the free access to medical supplies offered by Teladoc. But he didn’t really take advantage of everything they have to offer.
"We really support people with chronic conditions so if you are someone who lives with diabetes, hypertension, weight management support," Silverio said. "We can do so much virtually with education. We provide them with tools, like a glucose meter or blood pressure monitor."
"I didn’t understand the value at the time, I was getting my strips," Alvarez said. "I had a coach, we would talk maybe once a month."
It wasn’t until after his insurance changed, did he realize Teladoc’s full potential.
He still had access to Teladoc but chose to pay $59 a month.
"For $59 dollars a month I get unlimited strips," he said.
Alvarez says that alone is worth the price.
"That’s $150 dollars worth of strips for $59 dollars," he said.
And then he started using the health coaches that Teladoc offers.
"If you feel like you need an advocate, someone who is going to understand you and gets to know your unique situation even though if might be different from mine, you will begin to build a relationship with them and they will take that into account," he said.
Now he’s 65 and says he’s in the best health of his life and he credit those healthy habits to lessons he learned during a virtual visit.
Teladoc says roughly one in four Americans' insurance fully cover a Telehealth visit and you can check to see if you're covered by visiting Teladoc HERE.
The Source: Information for this report came from an interview with a member of Teladoc Health and a patient who uses Teladoc.