FAQs

Telemedicine is the delivery of health care services using technology in order to improve access to quality healthcare in rural and urban communities across the nation. It allows you to access specialists and doctors that you might not otherwise be able to within the comfort of your local community or sometimes even your home. Telemedicine can also help minimize healthcare costs while reducing you travel time and time away from work and family. Ultimately, telemedicine can minimize the complication of disease and even save lives through more proactive screening and early diagnosis for cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases.

A Telemedicine appointment is very similar to a regular visit to physician/PCP. However, the health care provider will be seeing and talking to you via video conference screen.If it is not your first visit the health care provider will have information about you from your health records. However you may bring along additional test results or x-rays with you to the appointment. You will check in at your local Telemedicine site just as you would with other medical appointment, and be met by a Telemedicine Coordinator.

You can have a telemedicine consultation at a local healthcare institution/provider office that offers telemedicine services. You will be connected to a specialist who is in a different location via video. A nurse/attendant is often on hand with you to conduct physical exams (such as taking vital signs), as requested by the specialist on the other side of the video screen. Cameras and other hi-tech monitoring tools allow the specialist to see on screen exactly what the nurse is seeing in person. The doctor recommends the right treatment for your medical issue. If a prescription is necessary, it’s sent to the pharmacy of your choice.

We provide you with a free electronic health record (EHR), allowing you to share this information with telemedicine doctors.

Where allowed by your state and insurance plan, you can even have a telemedicine consultation from your home – call us for more information or check our mobile app.

We have a robust network of qualified board certified physicians across all major specialties. For an exhaustive list of our specialists please refer to our website.

Our specialists are screened through a rigorous credentialing process which stresses on medical proficiency and patient communication skills. To ensure quality health care we conduct telemedicine specific training for our specialists.

You are required to be present at a remote site as this is required for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Medicare approved originating sites for telemedicine consultations are:

•   The office of a physician or practitioner;
•   Hospitals;
•   Critical Access Hospitals (CAH);
•   Rural Health Clinics (RHC);
•   Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC);
•   Hospital-based or CAH-based Renal Dialysis Centers (including satellites);
•   Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF); and
•   Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC).

You can choose a remote site located nearest to you from the list of remote facilities in our network. You can refer to our website for the list.

Medicare beneficiaries are eligible for telemedicine services only if they are presented from an originating site located in a rural ‘Health Professional Shortage Area’ (HPSA) or in a county outside of a ‘Metropolitan Statistical Area’ (MSA).

In many cases, telemedicine services are covered by insurance. In circumstances where telemedicine isn’t covered by insurance, private pay is an option for patients who want to realize the benefits of telemedicine.

We are always willing to assist you in obtaining authorization if required for telemedicine consultation.

On completion of the registration you may request for an appointment by selecting ‘Appointment Schedule Now’ on our website, by using our GoTelecare mobile app, or by calling us at (866) 636-6264.

In situations where your PCP is referring you to a specialist, the request for an appointment may be scheduled by your PCP as well.

In situations where a referral is not required the request may be raised by you.

We take great care to protect your privacy and the security of the information we store by following full PCI compliance. All your health related data is safe and secure in our HIPAA compliant servers and data storage. You can be assured your data is in safe hands and we won’t share it with any unauthorized personnel.

You receive all the assistance you need before, during and after a telemedicine consultation. During a session, the following will typically occur:

•   You will be asked to go to the nearest telemedicine site.
•   On checking in at the admitting desk, you will be directed to the telemedicine room.
•   The telemedicine room is setup with the video conferencing equipment and other health monitoring
  devices.
•   At the scheduled time you will be connected to the specialist through video conferencing device.
•   The specialist will speak with you and ask questions in exactly the same way as a face to face
  consultation.
•   You will not be expected to operate any equipment.

Any one of the following situations may arise with regards to your payment:

•   There is a copayment for the consultation service. You are required to pay the copay amount at the time of taking the service using a Credit/Debit card/eCheck.
•   There is a deductible/coinsurance for the consultation service. On receipt of the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from the insurance company for the service you can pay using Credit/Debit card/eCheck.
•   If you choose to pay out-of-pocket (without claiming insurance). You can make the payment by logging in to our portal and using your Credit/Debit card/eCheck.

We normally charge the credit card you provided when requesting your consult or the billing preference in our records. You can request a receipt for deductibles or reimbursement, if needed.

If the Insurance benefit details like deductible/coinsurance cannot be determined prior to consultation we will reach out to you at a later date with full information related to your telemedicine consultation and outstanding amount if any.

All the payments made at the remote site are secure.

To register yourself for telemedicine services you need to contact our telemedicine help desk (866) 636-6264 who will provide you with a pre-registration number.

Once you receive your pre-registration number you can register yourself by filling up the registration details in our website. During registration process, we shall verify your eligibility and benefit details through your plan. Once you are registered with us, you can schedule an appointment as and when required.

If there is no valid insurance, you still can register with us and avail our telemedicine services by paying on your own.

GoTelecare is NOT intended for emergency medical use. In case of emergency, call 911 or go to the closest hospital emergency room.