Telehealth has become an integral part of the healthcare landscape. It is here to stay, with many Americans, particularly those aged 50 and older, finding comfort and satisfaction in using these services.
Virtual visits offer unparalleled convenience, especially for urgent care needs. They making it easier to access doctors and specialists while saving time and travel. This is particularly beneficial for individuals in rural areas or those with mobility challenges.
Hospitals started telehealth plans before the pandemic. These were computer-based. By 2017, about three-quarters of U.S. hospitals had them.
The pandemic and relaxed telehealth regulations further accelerated this transition, allowing for rapid implementation of virtual care and remote monitoring within days or weeks rather than years. Telehealth is often seen as superior to in-person visits for convenience.
However, despite the increasing availability of online urgent care options, it is crucial to understand how to choose online urgent care that is reputable and meets individual needs while ensuring privacy and safety. Telehealth represents a significant advancement in care, but it is not a “silver bullet” for all health challenges.
Your Guide to How to Choose Online Urgent Care: Selecting a Reputable Service
To guide your decision and ensure you receive quality care, consider these key factors when choosing online urgent care:
1. Prioritize Provider Qualifications and Your Specific Needs
Telehealth can significantly advance the care of chronic diseases and support rural physicians by connecting them with specialists. When learning how to choose online urgent care, you should consider your specific preferences and the nature of your health issue.
- Older adults often prefer in-person visits for a “personal touch,” diagnostic accuracy, and thoroughness.
- Consider the nature of your health issue; about 40% of survey respondents expressed skepticism that their health issues could be resolved virtually. Ensure the service’s scope of practice aligns with what you need.
- Most older adults believe telehealth is best with a known healthcare provider rather than a new one. While urgent care may involve new providers, understanding their qualifications and the types of cases they handle virtually is important.
- Telehealth has proven beneficial in situations like post-hospitalization recovery. It enables patients to receive at-home rehabilitation and periodic video calls with healthcare providers, which can reduce the need for stays in nursing homes. For instance, one patient completed cardiovascular rehab from home using a smartwatch to track heart rate and progress.
2. Ensure Unwavering HIPAA Compliance and Patient Privacy
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) sets federal standards for how providers use and disclose your protected health information (PHI).
Online urgent care providers are “covered entities” under HIPAA. They face severe penalties for violations. Civil fines range from $100 to $50,000 per violation. The annual cap is $1.5 million. Criminal charges are possible in rare cases.
The Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) monitors and enforces HIPAA compliance. Even small providers, like a five-physician practice, have faced significant penalties.
When evaluating how to choose online urgent care, consider asking about or looking for evidence of the following measures:
- Formal Privacy and Security Policies and Procedures: Reputable providers will have these in place to protect your PHI and electronic PHI (ePHI), including safeguards for hardware, portable devices, and strict rules for email transmission of PHI. These policies should also outline processes for investigating and mitigating breaches. Urgent care centers should have made all necessary revisions to these policies based on the Omnibus Final Rule by September 23, 2013.
- Designated Privacy and Security Officers: These individuals are tasked with overseeing HIPAA compliance within the organization.
- Comprehensive Employee Training: All staff members must be trained on HIPAA policies and procedures relevant to their job duties, with training logs maintained as evidence for HHS. New employees must be trained, and existing employees must receive additional training on any policy changes.
- Business Associate Agreements (BAAs): If the online service partners with third-party companies (e.g., billing, management) that create, receive, maintain, or transmit PHI, they must have written BAAs to ensure these partners also protect your PHI. The definition of a “business associate” was expanded by the Omnibus Final Rule, requiring centers to evaluate all relationships and revise existing BAAs.
- Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP): This document explains how providers use and protect your information. Providers give it to you upon your first service and maintain a signed acknowledgment of receipt in your medical record. Providers must display the NPP prominently within the urgent care center and on its website if one exists. They should have revised it by September 23, 2013.
- Clear Breach Notification Protocols: The service should establish procedures for identifying and reporting any unauthorized use or disclosure of PHI. This includes:
- Notify affected people quickly. Do this within 60 calendar days. Notify media for large breaches. This means over 500 residents in a state or area. Notify HHS for big breaches. Do this when notifying individuals. Report small breaches annually to HHS. Small means under 500 people.
- Thorough Documentation:Providers keep extensive records. This includes BAAs and training logs. It covers breach records too. Keep them for six years at least. This shows compliance in audits. It helps in HHS investigations.
While people have noted concerns about confidentiality and medical errors as barriers to telehealth, recent AARP research suggests that older adults have fewer privacy concerns. A provider’s strong HIPAA compliance remains fundamental to protecting your personal health information when deciding how to choose online urgent care.
3. Evaluate Technology and Accessibility for Seamless Care
Effective telehealth use relies on adequate technological infrastructure and user capability, which is a key factor in how to choose online urgent care.
- Your ability to use telehealth effectively depends on access to high-speed internet, which about one-fifth of rural adults lack. Ensure you have a reliable connection and appropriate devices. Individuals aged 70 or older with lower incomes and poorer health are least likely to have access to high-speed internet.
- Consider the modalities offered. While video is common, if they were to use telehealth in the future, many older adults indicate a preference for audio-only visits (66% for audio-only vs. 48% for video). A versatile service might offer different options.
- Access to a computer is also a barrier, as not everyone has one at home or in their community, which would prevent them from using telehealth services.
4. Clarify Insurance Coverage and Understand Costs
Telehealth use surged during the pandemic, and policies have loosened, but there can still be uncertainty regarding whether your healthcare provider offers telehealth or if your insurance covers it—a critical aspect of how to choose online urgent care. To make telehealth more accessible and less complicated, we at Hamilton Health and Wellness do not take insurance, removing the guesswork for our patients. This is a critical aspect of how to choose online urgent care.
- Medicare, for instance, relaxed guidelines during the pandemic for patients eligible for at-home rehab services, and many insurance plans now cover such services.
- Always clarify coverage and potential costs before your virtual visit, as policies for geographic restrictions and reimbursement, though relaxed during COVID, may revert to pre-pandemic regulations.
Telehealth: A Valuable Complement, Not a Complete Replacement
By considering these factors, you can make an informed choice on how to choose online urgent care that ensures convenient, effective, and secure care. While telehealth offers significant benefits, most older adults see it as a complement to in-person care, not a primary way to interact with a healthcare provider. Experts emphasize that virtual and in-person care can work together to achieve the best outcomes for patients.
People particularly favor telehealth for getting answers to simple questions (66%) and prescription refills (63%).
Schedule an appointment with us and experience the convenience of our trusted online urgent care services.
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To learn more about when and how to use urgent care, explore our article on understanding the differences between emergency and urgent care—and how telehealth fits into the picture.