In 2020, telehealth appointments became the primary way to check in with your doctor. These days, even though the brunt of the pandemic has passed, meeting with your doctor over video is still a common practice. A telehealth appointment is great for quick check-ins regarding ongoing treatment and smaller medical concerns that don’t necessarily involve a physical check-up. However, just because these appointments are simple, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared for them. There are certain steps you should take before your telehealth appointment to make sure it goes smoothly.
Understand Your Insurance and What You Will Owe
Since the rise of telehealth appointments post-pandemic, insurance providers have added telehealth coverage to their offerings. It is often a separate listing from an in-person appointment, so it’s important for you to understand what is specifically covered and what you will owe after the appointment.
Choose the Best Place to Sit
This might seem like an overly simple step, but it’s an important one that is often overlooked when preparing for a telehealth appointment. Similar to online interviews or work-from-home meetings, you’ll want to sit in a quiet area with no distractions. If you’re talking about sensitive medical issues on this visit, you’ll want to sit somewhere that you feel comfortable talking about these things. You won’t be as open with your doctor as you need to be if you’re worried about being overheard by someone else.
Check Your Technology
Another step that seems simple but can be easily overlooked is checking that your technology is working properly. Make sure that your laptop is fully charged and is connected to your wifi. If you plan on using wireless headphones, make sure they are charged, and make sure that the built-in microphone picks up your voice clearly. Most telehealth appointments will have a “waiting room” built into the program, so you can check these things in the system if you log in early enough.
Write Everything Down
If you’re visiting the doctor, you most likely have something that you need to talk to them about. And if that thing is causing you stress (which is common), you might not remember everything to tell them in the moment. That’s fine. It happens to everyone.
Before your appointment, write down all of your symptoms and any remedies you’ve tried on your own (pain medication, ice pack, heat pack, etc.). This will help the doctor narrow down what is wrong–especially because they can’t examine you physically during a telehealth appointment. Additionally, write down any questions you have for them, so you don’t have to follow up later down the road.
Bring Any Requested Information
Now, since you’re most likely doing this appointment at home, this step isn’t as big of a deal compared to when you visit a physical doctor’s office. When you’re at home, you can run to the other room real quick if you left something in there that you need. Still, you should make sure any information your doctor will need is readily available to save time during the appointment. If you’re seeing your doctor about a chronic condition, this is an important step.
If Possible, Take General Vitals
This last thing depends on what you have available in your home. Your vitals provide a baseline of your health for your doctor to work with. For most in-person appointments, your doctor (or nurse) will take your temperature, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level. If you can check any of these at home, doctors will often ask you to. It’s not the end of the world if you can’t. However, depending on what happens in the appointment, this may lead to them needing you to schedule a follow-up appointment due to the lack of information.
Telehealth appointments are a convenient way to check in with your primary care physician and can save you a trip to the doctor’s office. However, if you don’t prepare properly, you might have to go in person anyway, wasting both your time and the doctor’s by needing two appointments. Make sure you prepare properly so you can attend your doctor’s appointment from the comfort of your own home.
