Healthcare Options You Can Access from Home | Healthcare is something that we all need sooner or later, but are not all equally able to access. The emerging online healthcare services that have begun to pop up due to demand are changing the way consultations and more are done. Unrivaled for ease, it will be interesting to see how these kinds of services evolve to assist you and your loved ones in the future.
5 Useful Healthcare Apps
- DoctorOnDemand: For as low as $40, Doctor on Demand offers online consultations with licensed physicians who can make recommendations or even write you a prescription. The doctors are board-certified, and available to help you for non-emergent problems, such as upper respiratory illnesses, flu symptoms, urinary tract infection symptoms, minor injuries like sports related injuries, and even children’s issues like ear ache or other minor problems. They can sometimes help you to fill existing prescriptions when you are having a problem related to travel. For instance, if you left your birth control at home when you’re on vacation, you might be able to pick up a new RX wherever you are through DoctorOnDemand. Psychologists are available, as are lactation consultants. Physicians are licensed for all 50 states, although not every state allows the service to diagnose or write prescriptions.
- LiveHealth Online: Similarly to DoctorOnDemand, you are able to get a video consultation, and possibly a prescription for a non-emergent issue from a licensed physician on LiveHealth. This service does accept some insurances and co-pays. Consultations cost a flat $49 rate.
- HealthTap: This medical consultation service allows you to ask some questions free of charge. Their “Concierge service” has a $44 fee per visit, or you can choose a monthly service that runs $99/month. The service for members allows you to have 24-hour access to messaging with physicians. HealthTap does not accept insurance: cash only.
- HelloMD: This app functions differently than the previous two. HelloMD helps you find consultations with specialists. It can help you find a doctor or specialist to organize an appointment for your issue within a day or two. It is a good service if you are seeking a second opinion. The doctors set their own rates, and you will need a credit card to secure an appointment through HelloMD.
- PingMD: This is a messaging system for doctors to communicate with one another, and patients can also use it for free to communicate with their doctors who use the service. It is a very handy way for your doctor to keep up with you for follow-up after you have started a treatment plan, or had a procedure. It makes having other doctors consult on your case very easy and streamlined.
Online Therapy
Mood Health allows you to consult with board-certified doctors, NPs, therapists to assess your mental health care needs. You can access therapy sessions through the site, as well as get any prescriptions for medications you have been prescribed for your mental wellness sent to your door — all from one handy site. As people struggle to find adequate mental health care, services like Mood Health might be the way of the future.
BetterHelp offers bilingual mental health care in the form of personalized, flexible therapy sessions with trained counselors for around $60-$80 weekly. This service provides 24 hour access to counseling if needed.
Open Path Collective offers group therapy sessions (bilingual services as well) with licensed counselors for $30–$80 per session, plus a $59 lifetime membership fee. OpenPath is a nonprofit organization and is geared toward helping those who lack health insurance or other affordable avenues to obtain counseling and mental health care services. Family, group therapy, and couples therapy are available, and families may be able to share a membership fee.
Pride Counseling is affordable counseling that is tailored for some of the unique challenges that the LGBQTIA+ community faces. They offer accepting and inclusive therapy options for around $60-$80 weekly. There are scheduled sessions available, and members are able to text their therapists for scheduling or other issues directly, in a discreet manner that is affordable for most people.
Talkspace is one of the most popular online counseling services around, providing individual sessions, your insurance may be able to cover the cost of the subscription fees. Sessions are conducted through live video feeds.
Prescription / Medical Supplies
PillPack is an Rx by mail service that sorts and organizes your medications into very easy-to-use packets that are labeled with relevant information like when to take the medication – the packets are dispensed to you in the order you should be taking the medications. Specific directions come with each packet (“take on an empty stomach”, etc.). Cost depends on your medication cost, with no added shipping fees.
Care/of is a service that will ship your monthly vitamins to you, as well as any other supplements or medical care items that they carry. This is a great service if you tend to spend more time than you would like to pick up your regular supplements and other monthly items.
REX MD allows men who are seeking ED pills online to take an online consultation with a physician to get prescriptions of erectile dysfunction medications safely and shipped discreetly to their door. The consulting doctor will determine what medications are safe, based upon your own history.
Diathrive offers diabetic testing supplies to be sent monthly to your door, making it easier to manage your diabetes with fewer trips to the pharmacy to pick up lancets and testing strips.
Rael offers period supplies in a holistic manner, offering organic alternatives to your typical tampons and maxi pads, as well as skincare to assist with hormonal fluctuations, and products to take care of your vagina and vulva.
Medical Records
Microsoft HealthVault is a free service that you can use online to keep your medical records for use in a safe, up-to-date, and confidential manner to bring with you to doctors’ appointments and ER visits, or any other time you might need your medical records. If you have a complicated history, this might be just what you need to solve your problems with getting medical records in the hands of your doctors when they need them the most.
Dietary Needs
The folks at Kroma offer products to provide yourself with a safe and healthy five-day cleanse. Put together in an easy-to-use package, you will have several different drinks and meal options to help you cleanse out your colon, kidneys, and liver, as well as supplements and any other supportive care for a body, cleanse.
My Fit Foods offers pre-made healthy meals for those who want to eat healthfully and well. Shipping high-quality, nutritious meals to your door, you can enjoy the best that healthy eating has to offer with minimum headaches or cooking.
With all of these online options (and more new options popping up every day), the challenges that many are facing to get good healthcare is starting to become less challenging. These handy, online services are safe and discreet and can help you live healthier, with better access to healthcare. Many of these services start at well under $100 per session, and allow people across the United States to get the help they need, the advice they are looking for, and from the people who are trained to help them.
