As technology advances across the United States, doctors and medical providers have adapted their practices to offer telehealth—online visits and health management that a patient can engage in from the comfort of their home. Often billed for the same price as an in-person visit, telemedicine offers an alternative that supports patients who cannot access a doctor's office.
When choosing an online doctor to help with diabetes, the first thing the patient must do is outline what kind of care they're looking to receive.
Next, the patient should decide whether telehealth is the right decision for them before researching available doctors to provide those services.
Make sure it will be a provider that will be able to access more than just your diabetes. You want someone that will help find the best treatment, including medications, weight loss (if needed), and manage the effects Diabetes has on the body.
This article will outline some of the benefits of opting for telehealth appointments, as well as strategies for finding a provider to manage diabetes. We'll also touch on the various services telehealth practitioners can provide, followed by how to get yourself set up and ready for your first telemedicine appointment.
There are many reasons why a patient may opt for telemedicine, but efficiency is typically one of them. Therefore, the telehealth provider you choose should make doctor's visits more accessible. Besides specializing in the type of care you're hoping to receive, consider how easy the platform is to use and how accessible your information is.
Below are a handful of things to consider when choosing a telehealth provider:
We recommend making a list of requirements for a potential provider before researching possible options. Always verify that the online provider is licensed to practice medicine before scheduling an appointment.
After deciding to convert to telemedicine, the next step is finding a doctor who can provide the services you require; this can be done in several ways. The first thing we recommend is speaking with your current provider about whether they offer telemedicine appointments. As technology advances, more and more healthcare providers are offering virtual care as well as in-person appointments. Your current doctor may already be offering these services.
If your provider does not offer telemedicine, you'll need to search for an online platform that does. Typically, virtual health is provided through groups rather than specific doctors. You may continuously request to meet with the same online doctor once established, but the first step is choosing a platform to suit your needs.
There's no shame in calling the company to ask questions or comparing different platforms online before choosing the right fit for you. One of the best ways to ensure that the care you are receiving is legitimate is by asking your primary care provider for telehealth recommendations.
Diabetes requires consistent hands-on management to record symptoms and medications. Due to scheduling and commutes, in-person doctors can't always provide the supervision needed to treat the ailment effectively. Instead, telehealth providers can offer care at the touch of a button.
Typically, telehealth providers offer some sort of patient portal for patients to log symptoms, request medications, or schedule appointments.
This system allows patients to keep track of their health while consistently providing that information to their doctor, who can look it over and make judgments on the path of treatment. With in-person healthcare, the patient must wait until the next appointment to provide their doctor with this information.
Online medical groups can also offer support for combating diabetes, including weight loss and nutrition management, all from behind the screen. Without the trouble of in-person logistics, some online doctors are free to provide round-the-clock support for their patients, which is all the more beneficial in the long run for those with diabetes.
For the most part, online doctors can provide just about everything in-person doctors can for patients with diabetes. This is one reason why the virtual option is so popular; the quality of the care remains the same—if not better—and becomes far more accessible to diabetic patients across the country.
When first reaching out for help, an online doctor may be able to diagnose diabetes before creating a treatment plan. However, we recommend visiting an in-person doctor to be diagnosed, as the process typically requires several blood tests that an online doctor simply cannot attain. Once diagnosed, however, an online doctor can work closely with the patient to set up a personalized treatment plan for tackling the disease.
You will need to provide your online doctor with the results of your blood tests. Then, your provider will typically discuss the results with you before offering suggestions that can help manage your condition, such as lifestyle changes including diet and exercise. If necessary, your online doctor can also provide mental health support for patients struggling with their diagnosis.
Virtual providers are free to prescribe medication at their discretion, so long as they are not controlled substances. Therefore, your online doctor can prescribe Metformin—a common drug for treating diabetes—if they feel as though it is the right choice for managing your diabetes.
Online doctors may also prescribe other diabetic management medications, change the prescription entirely, or alter the amount taken. Talk to your provider if you think Metformin, or any other medication, is the right path for you. Your doctor may require additional labs or tests before ordering any prescriptions.
Typically, an online doctor will provide the patient with any medication needed to treat diabetes. If medication management is important to you, be sure to research online providers that will prescribe medication, as not every telemedicine platform will do so.
Aside from Metformin, virtual doctors can prescribe a myriad of different medications used to manage diabetes. Common medications include:
In general, telehealth appointments provide quite a few advantages that regular in-person doctor's visits don't. Additionally, online care has been proven beneficial for patients with diabetes by offering round-the-clock healthcare. When the world turned virtual, medical providers were some of the first to adapt.
The following list covers various benefits of switching from in-person healthcare to telemedicine appointments for those who have diabetes.
Several things should be considered before making the switch to telehealth appointments, especially for a patient who has diabetes. We fully recommend doing your own research in addition to this article and speaking with your family about whether online healthcare is an appropriate option for your circumstances.
With that said, the following are several components that should be considered when deciding whether to switch to online management for diabetes.
The first component that should be considered is the amount of care that the patient is hoping to receive. Diabetes care can range quite a bit and vary in intensity; an online provider may not always be the right fit.
If you're searching for serious physical care, an in-person doctor would likely be the best choice. On the other hand, if lifestyle and medication management are all you require, an online doctor is a perfect option.
Secondly, costs should be taken into account when deciding between in-person and online healthcare. For most insurances, online and in-person visits have the same copay. However, without insurance, the difference between the two is quite large.
According to a study conducted by Dale Yamamoto, telehealth visits average between $40 and $50 while in-person appointments fall anywhere between $100 and $200.
Your location must also be considered. Telemedicine appointments are increasingly popular as they don't require patients to have transportation to an office. That means that patients located in remote or rural areas can have access to healthcare, as well.
If a patient is struggling to find transportation or lives too far away to receive care, telemedicine is an excellent option for diabetes management. The patient only needs to have a strong internet connection and a computer with a webcam for virtual appointments.
Lastly, the patient's overall health should be taken into account when considering online healthcare. For patients who may not be mobile or have a hard time getting around, telemedicine is the best option for diabetes management.
Additionally, patients with diabetes may be immuno-compromised and may want to avoid crowded waiting rooms, in which case virtual healthcare resolves this issue.
While diabetes can typically be managed at home, there may come a regular need for in-person care such as blood tests and physical exams. There are certainly advantages to both in-person and virtual care, so you may decide that a mixture of both is the right selection for you.
Combining in-person and virtual care is certainly not unheard of and can actually be quite beneficial. A diabetic patient may choose to keep an in-person endocrinologist or primary care provider to handle bloodwork and lab results while scheduling virtual visits for general lifestyle support and medication management.
Though the two are not mutually exclusive, be sure to check with your insurance provider to verify that you are covered both for in-person and virtual healthcare. The last thing you'd want to do is spend extra money when trying to make your healthcare more accessible!
As convenient as telemedicine appointments can be, there may come a time where you'll need to visit an in-person doctor. Therefore, we recommend keeping a primary care provider in the event that in-person care becomes necessary. There are times when you have very low or high blood sugars that may require hospitalization or urgent care center.
For patients with possible new-onset diabetes, an in-person doctor should be required for a diagnosis. While an online medical provider may corroborate this diagnosis, the tests needed to make said diagnosis are blood tests and must be done in-person at a lab.
Additionally, while virtual doctors can indeed prescribe medication, a patient may prefer to speak with an in-person doctor before taking any new medications if concerns about side effects arise. While telehealth providers are trained to answer questions and provide legitimate healthcare advice, some patients may find themselves to be more comfortable accepting prescriptions in person.
A patient struggling with diabetes may wish to see a specialist or endocrinologist. However, according to AMA, telemedicine appointments are less common with specialists and more common with emergency or general practitioners. If seeing a specialist is required to manage your diabetes, seek in-person rather than an online medical provider.
Lastly, a patient should seek in-person care for emergencies, such as dangerously low or very high blood sugar levels or abnormal pain. Instead of waiting for a virtual visit, go to your nearest emergency room as soon as possible.
Online medical providers are an excellent option for diabetic patients, especially if they cannot make the commute or feel uncomfortable traveling to a physical doctors' office. Telemedicine appointments are convenient and can be completed in the very comfort of the patient's home, so long as the patient has access to a strong internet connection and a computer.
Virtual consultants can provide medication, diabetes management, and round-the-clock care. Reach out to a telehealth provider today to see whether virtual diabetes care is the right option for you.
