Debbi Sigal
2 min readMar 11, 2015

Importance of Online Doctor Consultation

Ever pondered about consulting a doctor via the internet? According to the market survey, there has been massive interest in the telemedicine sector during 2010 to 2014. It has been calculated that about ten million citizens in America make use of telemedicine/ year. With the help online doctors, one can alleviate the minor medical conditions with ease as well as with the chronic conditions. Consulting online doctors helps in preventing regular doctor visits which can cost a pretty penny for the common populace. Telemedicine is quite beneficial for those who have no access to medical and health insurance for that matter.

How are online doctors beneficial for the patients?

1: Cost With the arrival of telemedicine, the playing field has been leveled since it requires no medical insurance. With the help of online doctors, time, transportation, gas and cost of visiting a real doctor declines since in a virtual environment all of these factors aren’t taken in consideration.
2: Access The common populace in America has no medical insurance due to lack of affordability and hence people dwelling in remote areas aren’t able to acquire quality medical services. With online doctors, telemedicine services are provided online for a fraction of cost via video conferencing. The telemedicine services are provided 24/7 by a countrywide network of certified doctors and therapists.
3: Time Most patients complain that doctors are on a schedule and time allotted to them is limited and insufficient to address their medical needs. The patients rather spend more time in the waiting room of a hospital than with a doctor. Consulting a doctor online takes around 20–30 minutes at a fraction of a cost since that time is patient-doctor time.
4: No insurance woes With no insurance to speak of, the cost is cut down massively and doctor-patient consultation costs some dollars. The insurance claims aren’t needed to be filed. Hence online doctors consultation removes that barrier.
5: Private and confidential It’s a given that medical information is strictly confidential. Hence, a secure online portal is created which is secure in the virtual environment. The patient record is kept secret in a secure database.

How it works

The process relatively takes a few steps. First an electronic form has to be submitted which the doctors will review for assessment. In case it is treatable then it is accepted. Medications are prescribed accordingly by the doctor himself. They are shipped to the patient’s house.

Step 1:

Select the service which is usually smartphone, tablet or computer

Fill out a form

Register in the website

Step 2:

The doctor review the form

Consultation takes place when accepted

An electronic prescription is given to the patient

Step 3:

The prescribed medicines are sent home via postal mail or courier services

  • Medicines are certified to be of high quality