Telehealth Explained: Revolutionizing Health Care From Home

Telehealth is a type of service that involves communicating health information or providing medical care remotely through various kinds of online tools and platforms. Many health insurance plans cover telemedicine screenings and treatments, allowing many people to access medical care even if they don’t have easy access to a physical health care facility.

Read below to learn more about what telehealth is including what types of conditions can be managed remotely and how much you may have to pay for telehealth care.

On This Page

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  What Is Telehealth and How Does Telehealth Work?

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  Who Can Use Telehealth Services?

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  How Much Do Telehealth Services Cost?

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  What Types of Services Are Available Through Telehealth?

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  What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Telehealth Services?

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  What’s the Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine?

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  FAQs

What Is Telehealth and How Does Telehealth Work?

Telehealth broadly refers to the delivery of health-related information and services via electronic communication technologies. In the context of health care, it can refer to consultations, diagnoses, treatment plans and other medical services that are provided via phone call, text message, email, video chat, online patient portal or some other type of digital communication software or teleconferencing app.

Accessing telehealth may be as simple as setting up an online appointment on your health care provider’s website. You may also be able to find telehealth providers through third-party apps if you do not currently have a doctor or are not sure how to contact a health care provider directly.

If you are covered by Medicare, you can easily search for medical providers that offer telehealth services on the official Medicare website.^[1] In addition, most private health insurance companies provide at least some telehealth coverage, so a representative from your insurance company may be able to direct you toward covered telemedicine services if your current provider doesn’t offer virtual health care.^[2]

Who Can Use Telehealth Services?

Anyone with internet access and a device like a smartphone, tablet or laptop should be able to access telehealth services. You should even be able to take advantage of telehealth technology if your health plan doesn’t cover it. Of course, you will likely have to cover the full cost of telehealth services out of pocket without insurance coverage.

How Much Do Telehealth Services Cost?

Telehealth costs about $40 to $90 per session on average without insurance. The exact amount you are responsible for paying will depend on factors like whether you see a primary care physician (PCP) or specialist, what kind of service you receive, whether the service is covered by your health insurance plan and what your share of the costs are under your health insurance plan.^[3]

What Types of Services Are Available Through Telehealth?

One of the main types of telehealth is direct communication with a physician via audio or video conferencing or online messages. Through this service, you may be able to discuss the following medical topics with a doctor over the internet:^[4]

• Common ailments and skin conditions
• Mental health and substance abuse disorders
• Results from a lab test or X-ray
• Prescription medications
• Post-surgery check-ins
• Guided occupational or physical therapy

Examples of health issues that can often be managed or treated via telehealth include the following:^[3]

Another major type of telehealth is remote patient monitoring, which involves tracking various health metrics at home and sharing this information with a doctor who can monitor your existing health conditions and potentially catch developing conditions early. Some of the metrics your doctor may want to track via remote monitoring could include your weight, heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, breathing and sleep patterns.^[5]

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Telehealth Services?

While telehealth can be beneficial for many people due to its affordability and convenience compared to in-person health care, it is limited in terms of the types of health needs it can adequately meet. A telehealth session is often cheaper than an in-person doctor’s appointment and it may save you time since you won’t have to travel to and from a medical facility or spend time in a waiting room.^[6]

Additionally, telehealth can make health care more accessible for many kinds of people including those who live far away from a doctor’s office, don’t have a certain type of specialist in their area or have limited physical mobility.^[6] Another perk of telehealth is that it can prevent the unnecessary spread of germs by people with contagious diseases, which is especially beneficial for immunocompromised people looking for low-risk medical care in the midst of a public health crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7]

Nevertheless, telehealth is generally not ideal if you have become seriously ill or have been seriously injured and need emergency care or urgent lab tests. It also isn’t an option if you need surgery or any type of exam or treatment that can only be administered in person such as a mammogram or intravenous chemotherapy.^[6][8]

What’s the Difference Between Telehealth and Telemedicine?

The two terms are sometimes used interchangeably but telehealth may refer to a wide range of virtual health-related services including remote education on health and training for medical providers, while telemedicine may refer more narrowly to the branch of telehealth that involves delivering clinical services remotely.^[9]