A Step-by-Step Guide to Using Telemedicine

1. Make sure you are tech-ready. You will need a decent smartphone, tablet or PC for a remote consultation, along with a reliable broadband or cellular connection to the internet, especially for video.

2. Check your insurance. Not every private insurer will cover telemedicine sessions in every locale, and the type of coverage varies among those that do. States have different regulations. Consult your provider to find out what's covered under your plan.

Medicare can pay for telehealth services to treat COVID-19 and “other medically reasonable purposes,” from common office visits to mental health consultations. Typical coinsurance and deductibles apply, though some providers are reducing or waiving them for such services.

3. Make an appointment. Call your doctor's office or visit the practice's patient portal (a portal is a website that provides 24/7 access to your personal health information) or app to make a virtual appointment. The office may have you download an app, and/or will email or text you a link to click on about 10 minutes before your designated appointment time. In advance of the virtual visit, you may also have to digitally sign HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and other consent forms on the screen, though regulations have been relaxed during the pandemic, and some providers may just ask you to verbally agree.

If you do not have an established provider, companies such as Teladoc Health, Amwell, PlushCare, Doctor On Demand and MDLIVE offer virtual visits. Be prepared to wait because of the excess demand.

4. Describe your symptoms. Depending on the app, you may be asked to fill in or check off symptoms.

5. Practice good security. Ask your medical provider about the steps taken to ensure your privacy. Choose a unique password that cannot be easily guessed and is not the same as you use elsewhere. “Approach it like how you protect your financial information,” says Mei Wa Kwong, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy. If possible, go someplace private in your home during the session.

The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) says covered health care providers may use Apple FaceTime, Facebook Messenger video chat, Google Hangouts, Zoom or Skype during the crisis, while having providers notify patients of any privacy or security risks.

"Don't be afraid to say to the doctor, ‘I am very comfortable using FaceTime [or whatever favorite you have]. Would you be?'” says Joe Kvedar, a Boston-based dermatologist and president-elect of the American Telemedicine Association.

6. Be prepared to wait. You may be placed in a digital waiting room before the session with a doctor begins. (Bring your own magazine.)

7. The doctor is in. When your appointment begins, the doctor will be seen on the screen (or heard on a phone) and will ask questions like in a typical examination.

8. Video can help virtual exam. With video a doctor can have you stick out your tongue, walk around and so on. Kvedar asks patients to upload pictures of skin conditions so he can have a look. And while having a phone call with a mental health professional can be beneficial for a patient suffering from anxiety, using video may help the psychologist observe body language or other visual cues.

9. You still may need to be seen in person. Only so much can be done remotely. Do you need blood drawn, an X-ray, biopsy or strep test? “If we need more information than we can glean from you over this medium,” we may ask you to come in, Kvedar says. But given the risks during the crisis, “we're making some very thoughtful trade-offs of who we invite into the office or lab."

10. Get prescriptions filled. Based on the virtual session, your provider can call in a prescription or refill to your pharmacy and follow up as needed.