Telehealth
How Telehealth Works:
In a telehealth visit you will interact in real time with your dermatologist via a secure, online videoconferencing technology. Your dermatologist has the right to discontinue or not provide a consult via videoconference or secure electronic messaging should the videoconference connection or the forwarded image be of poor quality. You may be required to make an in-person appointment for further evaluation should this occur.
The dermatologist will look at the patient’s skin during a videoconference. The dermatologist will then give you advice about your dermatologic condition and how to treat and take care of your condition. The information from the dermatologist will not be the same as a face-to-face visit because the dermatologist is not in the same room.
PROS, CONS AND YOUR OPTIONS:
With telehealth, a dermatologist will advise you based on viewing your condition during a videoconference. Sometimes a face-to-face follow-up visit with the dermatologist may still be needed. If you do not come into the office for an in-person visit, the dermatologist’s advice will be solely based on the viewing your skin condition during a videoconference. In the absence of an in-person physical evaluation, the dermatologist may not be aware of certain facts that may limit or affect his or her assessment or diagnosis of your condition and recommended treatment. It is possible that there will be errors or deficiencies in the transmission of the images of your skin condition during the videoconference that may impede the dermatologist’s ability to advise you about your condition. Also, very rarely, security measures can fail to protect your personal information, but the company that is providing the technology for your telehealth visit has extensive security measures in place to prevent such failures from happening.