Your provider canвЂ™t share your medical information with others without your permission, for example. Call your doctor and insurer to see what might be available.ДЄnd while telehealth services arenвЂ™t immune to hacks, theyвЂ™re subject to the same privacy regulations as a doctor's physical office. Otherwise, ones covered by employer or government insurance plans are best, says Edmunds, because they have probably been vetted by the insurer. If youвЂ™re interested in telehealth, try a service affiliated with your own doctor, Lipman says. But Medicare is currently more restrictive with its coverage. Many large employer and government insurance programs, such as Medicaid, offer telehealth coverage, often for about the same cost as an in-person visit. Online doctor visits are convenient, but do the savings add up? One recent study found they can cut cost and time, but people may be more inclined to use telehealth when they otherwise would have done nothing. And if you have symptoms of a stroke or heart attack, call 911. Still, never rely on an online service during a medical emergency, Shen says. But the list of conditions that patients and doctors can manage remotely is вЂњever expanding,вЂќ says Eric Topol, M.D., director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute. In the future, experts say, internet-Вconnected sensors-such as blood pressure monitors-could be paired with e-visits to help people manage chronic conditions from home.

вЂњI donвЂ™t know how good a look you can get down peopleвЂ™s throats through Skype,вЂќ he says.ДЄnd more complicated issues, such as pneumoniaВ or abdominal pain, may require an in-person exam. Lipman, M.D., Consumer ReportsвЂ™ chief medical adviser. But such conditions may be tricky to diagnose remotely, according to Marvin M. One recent studyВ found that people at home most commonly use telehealth for acute infections, such as sinusitis. Today, experts say, telehealth may be most helpful for those in rural areas or with mental health concerns, and for anyone with minor issues, such as a urinary tract infection, or UTI. This could be as simple as talking to your doctor over the phone or using the Teladoc app to video chat with a doctor, nurse practitioner, or other provider who can write a prescription. There are currently two major ways you can access remote care from your home: through e-visits with your own provider (if theyвЂ™re offered) or through a consult with an online-only service, such as Teladoc.

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