As the world deals with the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and the number of COVID-19 cases increases every day, you still have a practice to run. You have patients who need you to take care of their conditions beyond this pandemic.

But with regulations and local ordinances changing on a daily basis, it may be hard for your patients to see you in your office. And there is no end in sight for when this pandemic will end, so you need a way to take care of your patients that decreases the risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.

With Direct Health, you can start using telemedicine in your practice quickly. Any patient that has an iOS or Android smartphone can set up appointments with you, allowing you to evaluate them remotely. Just follow these 3 easy steps.

1. Download Direct Health and get verified

Setting up Direct Health for telemedicine is quick and easy. Once you download the app, create an account, and provide information about your medical practice, the Direct Health team will verify your credentials within the same day.

2. Add your patients from your EHR

You can then import your existing patient list from your EHR. Direct Health allows you to automatically import your patients from several featured EHRs. But if you use an EHR that is not on the featured list, the Direct Health team will help you or your staff to export a patient list from your EHR and invite your patients to use Direct Health.

3. Let your patients know you can see them virtually

Once you are set up in Direct Health, send a broadcast message via your EHR or social media to your patients to let them know you can see them virtually. The best types of visits for this setting are minor acuity conditions, rechecks and follow up visits, and medication management. After you import your patient list, Direct Health will send a series of messages to your patients inviting them to connect with you.

 

See your patients at your convenience

Many doctors using Direct Health block off time for virtual visits so they don’t interfere with office visits or creep into their precious personal time after hours. Other doctors like to use the texting feature in Direct Health to answer minor questions patients may have throughout the day.

If you decide to answer questions by text, you’re keeping it secure on Direct Health’s HIPAA-compliant platform. If at any time you feel more clarification is needed, you can switch to an audio or video call. Or you can loop your office staff into the text conversation to have your patient come to your office for an in-person visit.

This way you are always in control with Direct Health. Plus you can show your anticipated response time to set reasonable expectations with patients. You can also indicate your availability in the Direct Health app so you can “turn off” and have down time.

Get paid for your valuable time

Direct Health is set up for direct payments and does not bill insurance. Patients using Direct Health are usually happy to pay anywhere from $30 to $60 for a virtual visit because of the convenience. And since many patients are on high-deductible plans, they would be responsible for these upfront payments anyway.

Once you complete your virtual visit, you can create a summary note and bill your patient. Your payment is immediate because patients cannot initiate a visit without entering their credit card information. Your patient can submit the visit summary to file a claim with their health insurance company for reimbursement.

Or if you want your office to help your patients file the claim, Direct Health’s billing specialists can help you navigate the insurance reimbursement process.

Finally, you can export your visit summary to your EHR to complete your documentation.

Ready to take your practice to the next level with Direct Health?

With the coronavirus pandemic upon us, now is the time to add virtual visits to your practice.

Telemedicine allows you to address many of your patients’ lower acuity conditions. With Direct Health, you or your staff can assess patients concerned about COVID-19 symptoms virtually without risking exposure to others in your office while continuing to take care of your patients.

And if you are concerned about liability, Direct Health has you covered with $1M umbrella insurance for your telemedicine practice.

Interested in learning more about Direct Health? Contact us to schedule a demo or sign up now.

 

About the Author

Stephanie Kreml, MD is a former urgent care doctor and advises digital health and life science companies. Dr. Kreml also served as Chief Medical Officer for Accordion Health where she worked alongside data scientists to develop machine learning-based tools to enable healthcare organizations more effectively manage their patient populations.

She is an Advisory Panel Member for Dell Medical School’s Texas Health Catalyst program, enabling researchers to translate technologies into commercial healthcare applications. Prior to medical school, she held engineering positions with Motorola and Texas Instruments. Dr. Kreml received her Doctor of Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine and her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

 

About Direct Health

Direct Health is working to change how healthcare is delivered by recreating the doctor-patient relationship. With the secure messaging app, physicians and patients have the ability to connect via text, call, or video, from anywhere and on their schedule. This enables patients to chat with their doctor, vet, or therapist at any time, and clinicians to extend care and get paid without extra overhead or burdensome schedules. With over 20,000 doctors across the platform, Direct Health is leading the way in the future of healthcare. For more information, visit http://www.directhealth.us.