Forgot password?
Login / Register
With more than 160 million cases of the flu expected this season, the local doctor’s office, hospital or walk-in clinic will probably be busy. Consult A Doctor is looking to ease that congestion – for both the patient and the physician – with the launch of FLUHOTLINE24/7.
The Miami-based provider of telehealth services is touting its phone-based and online resource as an ideal alternative for people who are feeling the effects of the flu but don’t have time to visit a doctor. For $40, a patient can call or log on to the resource, talk to a certified physician and, if necessary, receive a prescription for appropriate medications.
While the resource is being touted for patients, it’s also designed to ease the workload for providers by siphoning off non-emergency cases that would otherwise clog up the waiting room. According to the Centers for Disease Control, flu-related complications lead to more than 200,000 hospitalizations a year, many of which could be avoided through timely access to healthcare resources.
“When we are sick, we typically have to get in our cars and drive ourselves to our primary physician’s office – if we have one. If not, our options are quite limited and usually entail spending most of a day at the local ER, wasting time and spending hundreds of dollars,” said Wolf Shlagman, the company’s founder and CEO, in a press release. “With telemedicine services, this entire process changes. Patients can obtain affordable, quality medical care without ever leaving their home. This is especially important when dealing with a pandemic like the flu as it insulates physicians, patients and the general public from exposure to germs.”
Consult A Doctor resource also provides a web portal that offers patients and physicians access to health and wellness information. Company officials say the portal can be used to schedule follow-up appointments, enter information in a personal health record and consult with physicians on other non-emergency health concerns.
“As a practicing physician, I have seen influenza season put a strain on time, energy and resources – not only in my own practice but also in urgent care clinics, ER departments and hospitals. Many times health problems are exacerbated by patients not seeking care in a timely manner, resulting in worsening illness and serious complications, including bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure and even death,” said Doug Smith, Consult A Doctor’s CMO and a co-founder of MinuteClinic, in the press release. “The ability to utilize telemedicine to provide earlier, more timely and more appropriate treatment allows clinicians and patients to reduce the duration and progression of the flu. Telemedicine also helps to identify those patients who are severely ill and direct them to other care settings, if needed, in an efficient and prompt manner.”
The resource can be accessed at www.fluhotline247.com or by calling 1-855-DOC-4FLU.
More information about formatting options
