So What Makes Medek Different From Other Telemedicine Programs?
So What Makes Medek Different From Other Telemedicine Programs?
Every company likes to think they are “Game-changers”. Here at Medek, we really think we are. While there are many types of telemedicine, and different telemedicine apps, Medek is fairly unique as a telemedicine healthcare membership. It is the membership part that makes Medek different.
First let us define the different types of telemedicine. One of the oldest types is when there are limited doctors* or specialized doctors* in a certain geographic area, but a patient in that area needs a consultation from a doctor* in another area. Example – in Billings, Montana a patient is bitten by a rare African Viper. The local Emergency Room does not know how to treat this type of snake bite. A specialist in African Vipers is reached online in Cairo, Egypt and reviews the patient via video conference, offering a suggested treatment.
A second type of telemedicine occurs when a doctor* or healthcare group chooses to meet with you online rather than having you come into their office. This occurs most often when the patient direct pays the doctor* rather than going through an insurance company. Example – a doctor* who performed a procedure wants to see how the patient is doing after 2 weeks. An online consultation saves the doctor’s* time and money and the patient the inconvenience of driving to the doctor’s* office and waiting in a waiting room.
Medek is most like the third type of telemedicine. A patient knows they have a minor ailment and needs to see a healthcare provider in order to get a prescription. They download an app, ask for an appointment, pay a one-time fee and visits with a doctor* online. The doctor* writes the prescription and the patient never left their home. Example – a mother knows her daughter has “pink eye” and wants the antibiotic to treat it. She has an online visitation with the first doctor* available within 30 minutes, gets her prescription and skips the waiting room.
However, with this third type of telemedicine, once the patient has been treated they have no ongoing contact. Each time the patient has a question, malady or ailment, they need to decide if they should use the telemedicine company and pay the one-time fee again, or visit a Minute Clinic, or Urgent Care or a Primary Care doctor* in their office. Each decision with an additional payment will cause some not to treat their ailment or postpone it until it gets worse. This is not good healthcare.
With a monthly membership, Medek members will access a healthcare provider whenever they need one. There is no concern about additional costs. There is no concern about additional time needed, the inconvenience of asking for time off from work, driving to a healthcare facility, waiting to be seen. They can access a healthcare provider from the office or home. Even if the healthcare provider cannot treat them online, they can refer them to the appropriate healthcare provider they need.
At $10 a month, the Medek membership costs less than what some people pay in gas, tolls and parking to visit a healthcare facility. It is good healthcare, because it provides healthcare providers as if they were on a retainer. In some ways it is having a “Doctor* in your pocket”. Medek is the 21st Century’s answer to the old fashioned “House Call”. It provides peace of mind in the confusing, convoluted world of medicine.
That is an important difference. Medek members are empowered and encouraged to be proactive in their healthcare. They are not passive. Members value their time, as does Medek. Medek is your healthcare on your schedule.
