I cannot tell you the amount of times in my life when I needed to get ahold of a doctor, and could not easily do it for whatever reason.
In my younger years I traveled a lot and would develop a sinus infection, or a UTI, and was far from home and did not have the means to go to an urgent care center.
Or when I was a newly breastfeeding mom, and developed mastitis but was way too sick to take myself anywhere when I knew I just needed antibiotics.
Or in the middle of the night when my toddler had an ear infection or a croup cough, and I really did not want to go to the emergency room and be faced with huge copays.
There have been many scenarios when having access to an online doctor visit via a telemedicine app or service would have benefited me greatly.
While my primary care doctor has always had an emergency middle of the night line, waiting on a call back could take an extremely long time.
As an example, once I called my OB for a prescription when I had mastitis and waited all day for a call back.
Now I have found out there is such a service in ROKiT Telemedicine.
A service which lets you easily get in touch with a doctor via app with a very minimum wait time, and get a prescription or diagnosis ASAP.
An app like this is a lifesaver for parents, or anyone who is busy at any time, but this especially makes even more sense right now while we are going through an unprecedented time in health care.
Virtual visits are obviously going to be the safest route for receiving health care which isn't an emergency.
What is telemedicine?
The World Health Organization (WHO) refers to telemedicine as "healing from a distance".
It is the use of technology to provide remote services to patients without the need for an in person visit. This is conducted using secure audio or video usually.
Times when telemedicine would be convenient include the middle of the night, when traveling, if you live an area where care is not nearby or convenient, or if you do not have insurance and don't want to deal with large hospital emergency room bills for something more routine.
Surprisingly telemedicine care can be very affordable compared to even some insurance options. I know my copays for the hospital and even urgent care are much higher than the cost of the ROKit app and visit with a doctor.
Here is some information about the ROKit Group
The ROKiT Group, creators of ROKiT Phones, the glasses-free 3D smartphones, announced the launch of a new telemedicine service powered by MeMD®.
“Telemedicine is a vital tool to help patients get medical care, 24/7 from home or anywhere and given the current global health crisis, we wanted to extend our existing service so it’s accessible for everyone, not just our current ROKiT phones customers,” said Jonathan Kendrick, co-founder of ROKiT Phones. “ROKiT Telemedicine reduces the need for travel and minimizes the risk of exposure in doctors’ offices, hospitals and clinics, especially useful in these unprecedented times.”
The ROKiT Telemedicine app provides users instant access to a virtual medical consultation to give treatment options for minor conditions and ailments such as the flu, sinus infections, respiratory infections and much more. If prescriptions are needed after the proper diagnosis has been given, medicines can be sent to the patient’s pharmacy of choice.
ROKiT Telemedicine is powered by MeMD and provides immediate access to a virtual consultation with a certified medical professional. ROKiT Telemedicine physicians are all extremely experienced and are able to give customers a proper consultation and advice, as well as having the ability to give treatment options for minor conditions and ailments such as the flu, sinus infections, respiratory infections and much more.
If prescriptions are needed after the proper diagnosis has been given, medicines can be sent directly to the patient’s pharmacy of choice. Consumers are also able to get up to 80% savings on pharmacy items.
How it works
Just download the app and sign up on it. You can use it 24/7 and will get a doctor visit within 15 minutes.
The cost is $9.99 a month and $38 for a visit. This covers your entire family with no contracts or additional fees.
Benefits of using ROKiT Telemedicine app versus visiting an urgent care center
Open 24/7 and usually much more affordable. Even with insurance using this app is cheaper for me.
Another benefit is not having to travel and expose ourselves to everyone else who might be sick at an urgent care center.
The convenience of having a prescription called in to a pharmacy without having to leave your house.
And of course, not having to wait more than a few minutes to speak to a doctor. This is in addition to all the other waiting that goes on in an urgent care type environment. By the time you are done it's usually hours later.
For more information check out the ROKiT Telemedicine site
To download the ROKiT Telemedicine app, please visit the Google Play store or the Apple Store
Conclusion
The convenience of an app like this makes it a must have on my phone.
Especially now when I would much prefer a virtual visit rather than going to a doctor's office if possible.
The ROKit Telemedicine app does not replace your primary care doctor or having an annual visit with a doctor. It is a great option for those minor health concerns and issues that come up, but don't seem worth the time and travel involved for an in person visit.
Please let me know if you have any questions about telehealth, or the ROKit Telemedicine app at all!