What exactly is virtual care, and how does it differ from in-person care?

There’s been a good amount of talk these days about virtual care being available and how it can make your life easier and healthier. But what exactly is virtual care, and how does it differ from in-person care? Virtual care allows you to connect with your physician through video calls, such as FaceTime, Zoom, or other similar programs. This allows the doctor to discuss your symptoms with you without you ever having to step foot in the doctor’s office.

Does this mean it replaces your regular doctor? Not at all! It’s very important to see your primary care physician face-to-face on a regular basis to cover your health in-depth and get their advice. But when seeing your primary care doctor in person isn’t possible or isn’t too urgent, virtual care is a great alternative.

For example, if you’re just going in for a regular checkup, a visit with the doctor might take all of ten minutes. But sitting in the waiting room could take a lot longer. In that case, Virtual Care would allow you to discuss your health with your physician without having to wait.

Or if you’re not feeling well and can’t get an in-person appointment, a Virtual Care visit will allow a doctor to quickly assess your symptoms and help you determine what you can be doing to get better. This is especially good if you’re concerned you may be contagious, or don’t feel well enough to leave your home for a bit.

Virtual Care is also great in case you need to speak to a physician quickly and your primary doctor can’t see you. With Virtual Care, you can reach out and speak to a provider a lot faster and get the help that you need when you need it.

Quality care, right at your fingertips.

At Mount Carmel Urgent Care patients 12 years of age and older can schedule a Virtual Care visit with one of our providers using a computer, tablet or smartphone. Symptoms we can treat virtually include:

  • Allergies
  • Cough
  • Cold
  • COVID concerns
  • Diarrhea (without abdominal pain)
  • Fever
  • Pink eye (without pain in eyeball/globe & no acute vision changes)
  • Rash (simple)
  • Refills of established medications (non-scheduled only)
  • Runny nose
  • Sinus
  • Sore throat
  • Tooth pain

Mount Carmel Urgent Care is here to offer you the highest quality of service possible, and that includes innovations such as virtual care visits. We know that if you have a problem, you want to be able to get the help you need when you need it. And that’s what Mount Carmel Urgent Care is determined to do. If you want to learn more about virtual care, or have any questions, contact us. You can walk into any of our clinics or check-in online.