Should I Schedule an In-Person or Video Visit? | UPMC HealthBeat (2024)

FAQs

Is telehealth more effective than in-person? ›

Results suggest telehealth as a viable care alternative with no significant differences between in-person and telehealth groups in depressive symptom reduction, and significant increases in self-reported quality of life across both groups.

Comfort and Convenience

With telemedicine, you don't have to drive to the doctor's office or clinic, park, walk or sit in a waiting room when you're sick. You can see your doctor from the comfort of your own bed or sofa. Virtual visits can be easier to fit into your busy schedule.

The telehealth appointment is similar to what would happen in a face-to-face medical consultation. Your doctor will ask about your condition, symptoms, medical history and more. Based on your discussion, he/she may prescribe medicine or recommend potential tests, procedures or other treatment options.

The advantages of telehealth include convenience, generally lower costs, and more consistent management of medical conditions. Disadvantages include a lack of access to technology, a lack of technical literacy, the cost of telehealth for low-income people, and privacy concerns.

The bottom line

Telehealth can be a convenient resource for getting timely medical care. And it could cost you less than in-person appointments. While there are multiple benefits to telehealth, there are some cases where it's better to see a provider in person.

Telehealth services may not be suitable for clients who are severely mentally ill or for those who pose a danger to self or others. Telehealth services can be suitable for those with severe personality disorders.

While you may need to see your health care provider in person sometimes, telehealth has many benefits. It keeps you and others from getting sick by being close to each other. You can see your health care provider anywhere: home, work, or even your car.

Downsides to telehealth

The security of personal health data transmitted electronically is a concern. While insurance companies are increasingly covering the cost of telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, some services may not be fully covered, leading to out-of-pocket costs.

What is the difference between telehealth and video visit? ›

Telehealth services may include telemedicine consultations and remote patient monitoring. In contrast, the virtual care model encompasses clinical and nonclinical remote healthcare delivery, such as digital health platforms, nonclinical consultations, and telemedicine consults.

Medi-Cal covers synchronous telehealth (e.g., video synchronous interaction and audio-only synchronous interaction) and asynchronous telehealth (e.g., store and forward and e-consults) across multiple services and delivery systems, including physical health, dental, specialty and non-specialty mental health, and SUD ...

The telehealth provider will likely record your information in an electronic health record, which is kept securely by the health system.

Of these, 57.6% thought that telemedicine saved physicians' traveling time, 27.8% were satisfied with telemedicine services, 28.5% were not satisfied, and 43.7% were neutral; 61.6% thought that telemedicine was important for them, and 53.6% liked using telemedicine because of the similarity of participants' values and ...

Some types of telehealth services no longer require both audio and video — visits can be conducted over the telephone. For details see this list of telehealth services covered by Medicare.

Studies suggest that live online therapy by video is just as effective as in-person therapy, particularly for CBT.

New analysis shows enhanced telemedicine services led to higher quality of care and better access and only a modest increase in spending.

Researchers looked at more than 60 studies and found that seeing a therapist virtually is just as effective as face-to-face sessions for most people with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD).