Save Time with Virtual Visits: Is Telehealth Right for You?

Q: I see tons of ads for telehealth. Is that a good idea, or should I stick to my regular doctor?

Lots of my friends have been asking me lately: Is telehealth sketchy?

I'm a primary care doctor — one who practices in a "regular" brick-and-mortar office — and people in my life have lots of questions about the ads they see for online doctors offering everything from mental health care to Viagra.

The services seem so easy to use, my friends say, but they're not sure that they're safe.

Nobody can deny the ease of telehealth. You can schedule appointments within hours — sometimes minutes — of realizing you need care and see a doctor from your couch, in your pajamas.

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But there can also be some serious drawbacks. For one, you might get hit with unexpected costs. And for medical conditions that aren't straightforward, there can be real benefits from building a relationship with a doctor IRL.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you're considering trying telehealth:

1. Different telehealth methods work better, depending on your health concern

If you're confused by the huge variety of online health care companies that have cropped up in recent years, welcome to the club. I can't keep up!

The field has been rapidly evolving in the U.S. since Medicare started paying doctors for virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other health insurers followed suit.

Telehealth can be delivered via video chat or phone or by filling out an online form. In the latter case, a doctor reviews the form and provides a treatment plan without talking to you at all.

Erectile dysfunction and hair loss medications — some of the first and most heavily advertised treatments available via telehealth — are pretty safe to access this way. Answer a few questions through a form, type in your credit card information, and the medications are in the mail. Companies that offer these treatments often deal with only one condition at a time and follow simple algorithms to make a diagnosis and offer a treatment plan.

If you have a mystery rash, on the other hand, you might try a video visit so your doctor can get eyes on it. Video visits are also helpful for evaluating sick kids and skin and nail infections.

Logging in to the right app for a video visit can be tricky for folks who have a hard time navigating technology, however, which is why I offer phone call appointments for my patients. A voice-only call is often the easiest way to discuss test results or check in about how a new medication is working.

Telehealth can be especially helpful for people in rural areas without close access to doctors.

2. Telehealth can't reach out and touch you

Telehealth simply doesn't work for conditions that require a physical exam (like gynecologic exams or joint pain) or for procedures like vaccines, steroid injections or biopsies.

And if your condition is complicated or you don't have a clear diagnosis — say, you're having abdominal pain but don't know why — it's often worth your while to meet a provider in person. Real-life visits tend to be more thorough, and doctors can learn a lot about your condition by observation and physical exam.

If you aren't sure whether a telehealth appointment is appropriate, ask your doctor.