Telemedicine has come a long way over the course of the last decade, going from relative obscurity to a pillar of modern healthcare. Even though visiting with an online doctor is today more convenient and accessible than ever before, choosing the right telemedicine provider can still be a challenge.

Like any other service, not all telemedicine is created equal. The good news, though, is that it is certainly possible to find an online doctor that meets your schedule, needs, and budget as long as you are willing to do a little research. In this article, we'll cover everything you need to look for in a telemedicine provider in order to help you start enjoying all of the advantages that telemedicine has to offer.

How to choose an online doctor

Choosing an online doctor is a lot like choosing a traditional doctor, save for a few key differences and additional points to consider. Here are some of the most important factors to keep in mind as you go about choosing an online doctor:

Qualifications and experience

As with choosing an in-person physician, a doctor's qualifications and experience is the first factor to consider when searching for a telemedicine provider. Check their degrees, specialties, and any certifications or memberships they might have earned.

If you use a telemedicine platform such as HealthTap, it’s likely all of the physicians on the platform have already been thoroughly screened. Nevertheless, it's important to do your own homework and ensure that the online doctor you choose has the right qualifications and experience to diagnose and treat your condition.

Patient reviews

One of the best ways to evaluate any doctor is to listen to what their past patients have to say. In the digital era, this is easier than ever before. At HealthTap, we make it easy for patients to leave reviews for our physicians, and these reviews are prominently displayed on each physician's profile. Browsing through these reviews is an excellent way to figure out what to expect from the online doctor whom you are considering.

Office hours

Once you have found an online doctor that you would like to schedule an appointment with, you will need to check their office hours to ensure that their availability matches your own. One of the big benefits of telemedicine is the fact that it tends to offer more flexible scheduling than in-person appointments. Online doctors are often available for appointments on weekends and after hours when most clinics are closed, making it easier to find an appointment time that fits your schedule. However, every online doctor's office hours are different, so it's an important factor to consider as you go about searching for the right provider.

Technological requirements

In some cases, you may be required to download certain software to your computer such as videoconferencing software before you are able to meet with your online doctor. With that said, if you are working with a telemedicine platform, your mobile phone or desktop computer should already have the software you need for telemedicine appointments.

Patient privacy

Using virtual care, or even sending electronic messages to your in-person healthcare provider via their in-house technology, may expose your healthcare information to data breaches. However, most telemedicine providers take careful measures to ensure that their patients' sensitive information is secured.

Ideally, your online doctor will have numerous digital security protocols in place, including security software, firewalls, and two-factor authentication. If you utilize a telemedicine platform, securing your private information will be just as much the responsibility of your telemedicine platform as it is the responsibility of your individual physician. At HealthTap, for example, we leverage the latest security software combined with ongoing audits and a meticulous screening process to ensure that a patient's private information is kept secure.

Services provided

As the popularity of telemedicine has grown, the number of healthcare services that patients are able to access remotely has grown as well. At HealthTap, we provide our members with a wide range of online healthcare services, including primary and ongoing care, urgent care, 24/7 doctor Q&As, prescriptions, lab tests, referrals, doctor's notes, and much more. At HealthTap, we are happy to offer our members assistance with choosing the physician and services that best match their needs.

Choosing the right telemedicine platform

In many ways, choosing the right telemedicine platform is every bit as important as choosing the right online doctor. In fact, choosing a reputable telemedicine platform eliminates much of the effort that is typically required to research and choose the best online doctor for your needs. Patient privacy, technological requirements, and, to some extent, services provided and physician qualifications are all factors that you don't have to worry about when you utilize a proven telemedicine platform such as HealthTap.

Along with making it as easy as possible for patients to research and choose online doctors, there are plenty of other great reasons to choose HealthTap as your go-to telemedicine platform. Since 2010, our driving mission has been to make healthcare as accessible and affordable as possible to patients all over the country. 

One key benefit of telemedicine is that visiting with an online doctor tends to be much less expensive than an in-person visit. By automating inefficient manual processes and eliminating unnecessary expenses, we at HealthTap have been able to make telemedicine even more affordable than it already is.

If you would like to start taking full advantage of all the benefits that telemedicine offers, we at HealthTap are able to help! Get started browsing online doctors in your area today by signing up for a HealthTap membership.