Buy?..Telemedicine for Travel? Questionnaire?..Yes or No..

[Travelhealth Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Travelhealth]

This is an attempt to survey the timeshare community and not to sell ANYTHING. This is a Yes or No response or leave your thoughts in detail....This question is directed to the most savvy travelers...Would a board certified physician available 24/7/365 to consult, diagnose, and when appropriate prescribe medication right over the phone be of interest to you and your spouse and up to 4 dependants be of value for a $5 a month charge. This service can be used at home, but more importantly for travel when a doctor is difficult to locate. You can contact the doctor as many times throughout the year. Phone consult is $35. Thank you for participating in this survey.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

This is an attempt to survey the timeshare community and not to sell ANYTHING. This is a Yes or No response or leave your thoughts in detail....This question is directed to the most savvy travelers...Would a board certified physician available 24/7/365 to consult, diagnose, and when appropriate prescribe medication right over the phone be of interest to you and your spouse and up to 4 dependants be of value for a $5 a month charge. This service can be used at home, but more importantly for travel when a doctor is difficult to locate. You can contact the doctor as many times throughout the year. Phone consult is $35. Thank you for participating in this survey.

Let me see if I have this right is it $5 a month and then $35 for a phone consult?

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

This is an attempt to survey the timeshare community and not to sell ANYTHING. This is a Yes or No response or leave your thoughts in detail....This question is directed to the most savvy travelers...Would a board certified physician available 24/7/365 to consult, diagnose, and when appropriate prescribe medication right over the phone be of interest to you and your spouse and up to 4 dependants be of value for a $5 a month charge. This service can be used at home, but more importantly for travel when a doctor is difficult to locate. You can contact the doctor as many times throughout the year. Phone consult is $35. Thank you for participating in this survey.

Would this be a US based service? Is it legal for an MD to diagnose and prescribe over the phone for patients who are not already established and been seen in person? How would it work for a US resident who calls from abroad?

I can call my internist from just about anywhere and get a prescription if, for example, I know I have a sinus infection and need to fly or have a recurrence of something familiar. If I didn't have good health insurance or a regular internist, the service you speak of might be of interest, but I do wonder about safety...

[Travelhealth Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Travelhealth]

Yes....That is basically how the program works. I am reaching out to companies offering this service and I wanted to get a pulse direct from the travelers. Thank you for your response.

[Travelhealth Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Travelhealth]

Yes, this is a US based service. Most people deductables are upwards of $1500 before insurance kicks in for them. 70% of doctor visits can be handled over the phone. If a $35 phone call can solve their issue instead of paying $100+ at the urgent care - or at primary doctor - immediate saving. Thank you for your response. Helpful..

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I think it makes a lot more sense for someone to call their own doctor.

I can just imagine talking to a Eastern intern who doesn't understand me and who no one else including a pharmacist can understand.

[Chap7 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Chap7]

I find it hard to believe that 70% of all doctor visits could be handled over the phone.

[Its5O'clockSomewhere Member Find all posts View Profile Close Its5O'clockSomewhere]

I might consider something like this. I have insurance, but am healthy enough, and my doctor's practice is huge enough, that I have never actually met the doc assigned to me by my insurance company. If I do need to go in, its to the nurse practitioner, or to urgent care. So, I don't think my doc would A) be accessable over the phone, and B) feel comfortable prescribing to someone he hasn't really treated. If I do get sick, I usually know what the problem is, and feel too crappy to want to get dressed and go out to the dctor's office.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Urgent care for me is $25. CVS or the minute clinic idea is something like $10-15. I haven't used urgent care in a couple years. I see the doctor once a year for prescription renewal and annual exam.

I can't think of the last time I called to ask a doctor something.

I am going to say no to this plan for me.

[Kay H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Kay H]

There are so many medical conditions that have the same symptoms so I wouldn't want to be diagnosed and treated over the phone without an exam or perhaps some tests. Not for me.

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Our primary care doctor, who we know and who knows us, would do this for us. So we would not be interested.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

Even if the idea of this is that you are away from home, why would I trust a phone doctor over a doctor room visitation? The more I think about this, I keep coming up with an answer of no.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I have added a poll to this thread so that the OP can get the yes or no information requested more efficiently. So let's get out the vote !

[dale7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dale7]

My health plan all ready has a 24 hr phone number to use and they have all of my medical on computer for them to look at.