How It Works
Membership Includes
Optimal teleHealth has assembled a package of services provided by our partner, MyTelemedicine, Inc. and make them available in a single membership bundle to all membership subscriptions placed through Optimal teleHealth. It includes the following:
- 24/7/365 access to a board-certified doctor licensed to practice in the state from which you are calling, from any of the 50 United States plus Puerto Rico, with no additional fees (except cost of prescriptions if provided) and no limitation on call frequency or duration.
- A complete English/Spanish bilingual experience.
- The ability to message a specialist in various fields such as Pharmacist, Dentist, General Practitioner, Psychologist, Dietician, Sports Medicine, Alternative Medicine, Pediatrician, and Ophthalmologist. No additional cost or limitations on access.
- Behavioral Health Counseling 24/7 via telephone to cover issues such as anxiety, depression, family issues, addictions, etc.
- Access to health advocacy services to help patients navigate the complicated medical industry to help with billing issues, negotiate best rates for medical services and provide options for medical procedures.
Connecting is Easy
1. Call
Patient calls 1.800.611.5601 or logs on to their member portal to schedule a consultation with a physician licensed in their state.
2. Explain
Member speaks to a Care Coordinator who will triage and update the patient’s Electronic Health Record(EHR) along with all symptoms.
3. Physician Visit
Member consults with Physician who recommends a treatment plan. If a prescription is necessary, it’s sent to the pharmacy of your choice.
4. Information
The doctor will update the member’s EHR immediately after the consultation. The patient has 24/7 secure access to their member portal.
Telemedicine Benefits
The Healthcare Problem
America’s healthcare system is a mess and an ongoing topic of controversy. Nearly 33 million Americans are uninsured, down from 45 million a few short years ago, the reduction attributed to the Affordable Care Act. The ACA not only caused insurance premiums to skyrocket, it produced coverage plans with such high deductibles that coverage for routine health maintenance like doctor’s office visits has been virtually eliminated. As a result, millions of Americans are now withdrawing from healthcare coverage completely.
Sherry Glied, PhD, Associate Professor of Public Health, Columbia University makes the point;
“The people who are most at risk today are those who have no health insurance at all. They’re at risk of not getting regular care when they need it. They’re at risk of not catching real problems before they get serious enough to not be treatable. They’re at risk of not getting the best treatment when they actually do get sick. And they’re at tremendous financial risk. They could lose everything that they’ve saved in their lives because of some even fairly minor health problem.”
A report by the Institute of Medicine & Health states that unnecessary care accounts for one-third to one-half of all health care costs, which equal hundreds of billions of dollars, in addition to the half-a-trillion per year experts attribute to lost productivity and disability.
As a result, there has been an increased focus on technology and in particular telemedicine to connect patients to doctors via telephone, video or email, making healthcare more readily accessible, especially during non-business hours. Telemedicine also provides patients with less expensive, quality care, as opposed to more expensive and less productive settings such as an urgent care center or emergency room.
The Solution
There is clear indication that the telemedicine industry is at the tipping point of going mainstream pushed by the implementation of healthcare reforms, escalating costs of facility-based care, shortage of primary care physicians and nurses, aging baby boomers and increasing consumer demand. A closer look at U.S. trends suggests that telemedicine market growth has been driven by the implementation of the Obama administration’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), a six-year-old law that has intensified the focus on telemedicine as a way to treat an increasing number of people who will be seeking health insurance and medical services. Telemedicine technology enables healthcare personnel to meet this increasing demand without delays in treatment or rationing care, the BCC Research report concludes.
Optimal teleHealth and MyTelemedicine are committed to revolutionizing healthcare by setting telemedicine’s highest industry standards, designing the most up-to-date healthcare programs and driving consumer awareness of the potential of this technology.
Our national network of U.S. board-certified physicians are some of the most credentialed in the industry today. They include primary care doctors, internists, emergency room doctors as well as licensed pediatricians.
MyTelemedicine physicians are available 24/7/365 and provide members with convenient, quality medical consultations via telephone, secure video and secure email. Our physicians can diagnose many common conditions and recommend treatment plans including non-controlled prescription medication as necessary
Why Telemedicine
Telemedicine is one of the fastest growing technologies in healthcare today. Distance is no longer a barrier and new devices and platforms are being created every day. According to a June 2018 article published by P&S Market Research, the telemedicine market is projected to attain a size of $48.8 billion by 2023. The market has been categorized into tele-hospital/tele-clinic and tele-home. Of the two, tele-home is expected to be a faster growing category because of the rising inclination toward personalized healthcare and the increased use of tele-home monitoring tools.
As demand grows, the telemedicine industry will see many new companies enter the market. MyTelemedicine has positioned itself as a leader in this industry. They are revolutionizing the telemedicine industry and there are several areas in which they differentiate themselves.
When should you use Telemedicine
- If you cannot reach your primary care physician
- If you need a short-term prescription refill
- If you have young children and are unable to see a doctor
- If it’s after your doctors normal business hours
- When you’re on vacation or traveling away from home
- If you have a specific health-related question
- If you’re not sure you need to go to an urgent care center or ER
- If you cannot afford to take time off of work
- As a higher-quality, lower cost alternative to walk-in clinics
- To get a second opinion on a previous diagnosis
- To obtain a doctors order for routine lab work
Common Conditions Treated
Through consultation with licensed physicians, you can receive on-demand professional guidance for the following:
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
- Cold & Flu
- Constipation/Diarrhea
- Diarrhea
- Rashes
- Infections
- Small Wound
- Sinus conditions
- Bronchitis
- Shingles
- Hemorrhoids
- Urinary Tract Infection
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Skin Inflammations
- Sore Throat
- Sports Injuries
- Fever
- Headache
- Joint Aches & Pains
- Pink Eye
- Minor Pediatric Ailments
Prescription Policy
Physicians providing consultations for MyTelemedicine members may offer online prescriptions* for a wide range of products that deliver direct medicinal value. These include, but are not limited to, drug classes such as antibiotics and antihistamines.
Convenience prescriptions for maintenance medicines may also be obtained in cases where a member is in transition to a new insurance plan or doctor. There is no guarantee that an online prescription will be issued on any consultation and online prescriptions will only be issued if the physician is able to gather the appropriate information to accurately diagnose and treat a given condition. Physicians will refer patients to their primary care physician or appropriate level of care when indicated.
It is important to note that MyTelemedicine is not a drug fulfillment warehouse. In the event a physician does prescribe medication, he/she will usually limit the supply to no more than thirty days. Patients with chronic illnesses should visit their primary care physicians or other specialists for extended care.
MyTelemedicine network physicians do not issue online prescriptions for substances regulated by the DEA, those used for a non-therapeutic purpose, and/or those substances which may be harmful (potential for abuse or addiction).
For a current list of DEA controlled substances, click here.
It is important that expired, damaged, and unusable medications are disposed of properly. Please follow the instructions detailed on the FDA website at the following link:http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm101653.htm regarding proper methods of disposing unused medicines.
*Online prescriptions will only be issued when indicated and approved by a physician, and as permitted by law in your state.
