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6 Ways Telemedicine is Empowering Patients

For millennia, patients have had to accept whatever treatment a medical professional happened to foist upon them. Whether the medical professional happened to be a witch doctor in the Amazon or a scalpel-wielding Victorian physician eager to perform a frontal lobotomy, patients had little choice but to follow the doctor’s orders. Throughout history, there was very much an ‘us and them’ divide between doctors and patients. Doctors knew it all, patients knew nothing. This was very empowering for doctors, but disempowering for patients.

Telemedicine has leveled the playing field. Thanks to telemedicine, patients now have much more choice and involvement in their treatment. Telemedicine is empowering patients by giving them massively increased choice, and also opening up a world of potential learning and education that was previously closed off to them. Patients can now take charge of their own treatment and make choices for themselves with the help of doctors, medical professionals, and telemedicine apps.

Obviously, most patients are not fully qualified to make decisions about their medical treatment completely independently, but the fact that telemedicine has empowered patients by giving them far more choice, and far better sources of information than ever before, is surely a good thing.

Here are 6 ways in which telemedicine is empowering patients.

 

Telemedicine Gives Patients More Control Over Their Money

Telemedicine has many money-saving benefits. It allows patients to choose from a far larger pool of potential health care providers, enabling them to find the most cost-effective treatment. It also does away with the need to take a lot of time off work to travel to lengthy in-person consultations. The money that patients save by using telemedicine is hugely empowering. Having more money to pay off debt, increase savings, or buy goods and services that they desire or need is very empowering for patients.

Divan - Coins

Saving money (and time) is one of the biggest benefits of telemedicine.

Telemedicine Allows Patients More Choice of Who They Consult With

In days gone by, patients had to consult with whatever medical professional happened to be based nearest to their location. This often meant that patients had to make do with subpar doctors or facilities. It also meant that patients sometimes had to be treated by doctors they did not warm to. This lack of choice of who patients could deal with was very disempowering. Telemedicine has empowered patients by giving them a much better choice of which medical professionals they can be treated by.

Telemedicine Makes it Possible For Patients to Live in Remote Locations

Before telemedicine, many patients had no choice but to live in locations that were near to medical facilities, but otherwise unappealing. Many people had to live in big, overcrowded cities just to be near hospitals and medical facilities. Telemedicine has freed patients up big-time in this regard. Patients can now choose to live in much more remote locations far away from the nearest hospital or surgery. Having the ability to live in a peaceful wilderness or small, friendly village, while using telemedicine to meet their medical needs, is very empowering for patients.

Telemedicine Gives Patients More Choice Between Different Treatments

There are many ways to skin a cat. Exciting new medical treatments are being developed all the time that can meet the needs of patients much better than older, traditional treatments. Before the age of telemedicine, exciting new treatments were often unavailable to patients whose doctor was not up-to-date with the newest research. Telemedicine has empowered patients by enabling them to choose doctors in distant locations that offer groundbreaking new treatment options.

Divan - Travel

Want to travel the world, but still access health care? Enter telemedicine!

 

Telemedicine Gives Patients the Freedom to Travel the World

The ability to up sticks and travel the world is certainly very empowering. Telemedicine enables patients to do just that by giving them the option to consult with their physician or health care provider remotely, from anywhere in the world. Thanks to telemedicine, even people with chronic health conditions can explore the world safe in the knowledge that, should they need to, they can contact their doctor from any location. This is hugely empowering.

Telemedicine Gives Patients Their Time Back

Time is the most valuable resource there is. Traditional medicine often robs people of their precious time by requiring them to make long journeys to hospitals or surgeries and to wait for interminable hours in waiting rooms and ERs. Telemedicine empowers people by giving them far more control over their time. It allows patients to choose much less time-consuming methods of treatment, and therefore save plenty of hours with which they can do as they please.

8 Ways Telemedicine Can Decrease Stress

Stress has reached epidemic proportions in the world today. Even while standards of living are increasing across the board in most parts of the world, people are suffering from chronic stress seemingly more than ever. Social media addiction, ultra-demanding corporate work schedules, competition anxiety, rising personal debt – these are all stress-inducers that are common in the modern world. People are time-starved, money is tight, and “keeping up with the Joneses” feels like a stressful necessity for millions.

In this stressful modern world, any and all developments that can reduce stress are welcome. Telemedicine is one of these stress-reducing developments. Telemedicine saves time, saves money, increases patients’ choice, and makes it possible for people to live in calmer, less busy locations where life is slower and less stressful. Telemedicine has reduced stress levels for millions of people all over the world.

Here are 8 ways telemedicine can decrease stress.

 

Telemedicine Is Less Costly

Personal debt is a huge cause of stress in the modern world. Mounting personal debt eats away at a person’s peace of mind. Telemedicine saves people money by allowing them to choose the most cost-effective treatment options from a much larger pool of potential health care providers. It also makes it possible to not travel long distances to get medical treatment. The money that people save by using telemedicine instead of traditional medicine can be put towards paying off debt and increasing personal savings. These money-saving benefits can greatly decrease stress.

Divan - Saving Money

Money is one of the biggest causes of stress, so any money saved on medical appointments is a huge help.

Telemedicine Provides More Choice

Dealing with a medical professional who is not particularly appropriate to a patient’s needs can be stressful. When a patient uses traditional medicine, they have much less choice and so often have to deal with a health care professional that they don’t feel comfortable with or trust. With limited choice, people also often have to deal with health care professionals who are charging excessive prices. The increased choice that telemedicine provides means a patient can find the perfect medical professional to meet their specific needs. This increased choice can be a big stress-reliever for patients.

Telemedicine Saves a Lot of Time

In the modern world, time is often of the essence. People have very tight schedules and deviating from these can often lead to a stressful backlog of “to do”s. Telemedicine saves a lot of time because people can consult with doctors remotely in a tiny fraction of the time it would take them to visit a surgery for an in-person consultation. These time-saving benefits can save people a lot of stress.

 

Telemedicine Makes It Easier To Live In Remote, Peaceful Locations

Living in a big, bustling, intensely busy city can be very stressful. Being able to live in a smaller, more relaxed town or city, or even in a peaceful rural location, can hugely decrease a person’s stress levels. Telemedicine frees people from the necessity of living in a big urban area by allowing them to get their medical needs met remotely. Many people who use traditional medicine have no choice but to live near a major hospital. Using telemedicine allows people to live in much less stressful, “off-the-grid” locations.

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Living in a less stressful location is much easier when you know you have access to telemedicine.

Telemedicine Reduces the Need For Stressful Surgery Visits

Queuing up in busy surgery waiting rooms or hospital ERs can be very stressful. Not only are these places often packed, stuffy, and uncomfortable, but they also tend to be hotbeds of germs and viruses. Telemedicine allows people to avoid waiting rooms and ERs for many medical conditions. In this way, it saves people a lot of stress.

Telemedicine Makes Life Less Stressful For Patients With Mobility Issues

For patients with mobility issues who require the use of disabled parking permits, telemedicine is a huge stress reliever. Getting to a surgery or hospital can be a difficult ordeal for people who use handicap parking. Telemedicine allows people with mobility issues to consult with health care professionals remotely. This saves people with mobility issues a lot of stress.

Telemedicine Means Less Time Off Work

Traditional medical treatment often requires patients to take a lot of time off work. This can be very stressful because it often means fewer wages. It also can strain relations between a patient and their boss. The fact that telemedicine reduces the amount of time that a patient will need to take off work is often a big stress reliever.

Telemedicine Provides Stress-Relieving Education to Patients

Stress and fear often stem from ignorance and a lack of understanding about the world and the nature of one’s problems. Knowledge is the antidote to this ignorance and therefore a great reducer of stress. Telemedicine provides plenty of information for patients, giving them the option to use telemedicine apps to educate themselves about their medical condition and feel more reassured and less stressed.

6 Ways Telemedicine Improves A Patient’s Range Of Choice

Telemedicine is one of the great inventions of recent decades. This new form of medicine is improving the lives of millions of people in numerous ways. One of the major ways in which telemedicine makes the lives of patients better is that it hugely improves their choices when it comes to health care.

Here are six ways telemedicine improves a patient’s range of choice.

Geographic Location

Geography and distance matter less than ever before thanks to the advent of telemedicine. It is now easy for patients to choose to consult with physicians in far-off locations using telemedicine apps. Telemedicine allows patients to have consultations with medical professionals in distant parts of the country or even the world. The fact that geography and distance are now so much less of an impediment means that patients have a tremendously wider range of choice of which medical practitioners they consult with. Telemedicine has made the world a much smaller place.

 

Money Saving

Telemedicine affords patients far more scope for money-saving. When using conventional medicine, patients are likely to need to pay more because they only have access to a relatively small number of medical professionals. Telemedicine opens the market up and allows patients to choose from a far wider selection of medical professionals. A market operates best when there are no barriers to entry and competition is fierce. When providers of medical treatment are operating in a highly competitive market, they are forced to provide the best service possible for the most economical price. The healthy competition that telemedicine fosters gives patients a far wider choice and makes money-saving easier than ever.

Divan - Money Saving

Saving money on health care is made easier through the advent of telemedicine.

Rare Treatments

Using traditional medicine is inherently limiting in terms of the types of treatment it leaves open to a patient. When a person uses telemedicine, they have a far wider range of choices of what types of treatment they would like to avail of. This wider list of possible options includes rare, novel, and experimental treatments. Rare treatments are, by their very nature, only available from a few sources. Many groundbreaking types of medical treatment are only offered by a small handful of specialist doctors. Often a rare and experimental treatment is the best possible option for a patient. Telemedicine allows people to avail of rare and experimental treatments much more easily.

 

Time Saving

Before the advent of telemedicine, receiving medical treatment was often a very time-consuming undertaking. People had no choice but to travel long distances, wait in waiting rooms, attend multiple in-person consultations, visit pharmacies again and again, and generally devote tons of precious time to the business of receiving medical treatment. Telemedicine has changed all this. Thanks to telemedicine, patients now have the ability to choose treatment methods that are far less time-consuming, such as remote consultations. Telemedicine makes long journeys to hospitals and surgeries far less necessary in many cases; it also makes it easy to send test results over the internet. Patients have more time-saving options than ever before now thanks to telemedicine.

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Telemedicine saves time for both patients and medical professionals alike.

Avoidance of ERs and Surgeries

Prior to telemedicine exploding onto the scene, patients were forced to spend long hours queuing up in emergency rooms and doctor’s surgeries, often for quite minor injuries and ailments. Before telemedicine, there was simply no option but to report to ERs and surgeries and waste precious time waiting to be seen by a doctor. ERs and waiting rooms tend to be hothouses of germs and viruses, and many a patient has left one of these places sicker than when they arrived! Telemedicine has changed this situation for the better. Telemedicine has made it possible to perform a lot of medical consultations that previously would have required an in-person visit remotely from the comfort of your own sick bed. Having the choice to not make the time-consuming trek to a germ-filled ER or surgery has hugely improved the lives of many patients.

Work Schedule

It used to be the case that when a person got ill to the extent that they required a visit to the doctor, they would almost certainly need to take a day off work. Even if a person was feeling good enough to work, a doctor’s appointment often meant they would need to use up a precious “sick day.” This was an unfortunate situation. Very often, the only thing necessitating that a person take the day off was the fact that they had to attend a time-consuming doctor’s appointment. Thanks to telemedicine, this situation has changed for the better. Telemedicine consultations can now be done so quickly that if a patient desires to attend work on the same day, they easily can. This gives patients the choice to stay home from work if they really need to, but also to attend work if they would prefer to do so.

6 Ways Telemedicine Can Improve MMJ Patients’ Lives

Many people in the US use medical marijuana to ease the symptoms of a physical or psychological condition. MMJ is widely used to treat psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia, as well as physical conditions such as chronic pain, glaucoma, and muscle spasms. Laws that legalize the use of medical cannabis are rolling out across the nation, state by state, at a rapid rate. Now, over half of the states in America allow some type of medical cannabis usage.

The rise of medical marijuana has coincided happily with the rise of telemedicine. In fact, you could say that telemedicine and medical marijuana are a match made in heaven. Here are six ways telemedicine can improve MMJ patients’ lives.

Telemedicine is a Godsend For MMJ Patients With Mobility Issues

Many medical marijuana users have mobility issues. Lots of people use MMJ to alleviate the discomfort associated with conditions that hamper mobility such as arthritis, chronic pain, muscle spasms, broken limbs, and being an amputee. For these people, getting to their local doctor’s office or MMJ dispensary can be a difficult ordeal packed with challenges, obstacles, and hassles. Telemedicine massively improves the lives of these MMJ patients by giving them the option to consult with their doctor, and even to order their MMJ, online or over the phone from their home.

Telemedicine Makes Life Much Easier For MMJ Patients Who Live in Remote Locations

Many legal MMJ states, such as California, Alaska, and Nevada, are large and have lots of wilderness. In states like these, a lot of medical cannabis patients live in very remote areas, far from their nearest doctor’s office or MMJ dispensary. Telemedicine makes life much easier for these people. They can consult with their physician online from their home instead of traveling for many hours to meet face-to-face. They can also contact their dispensary online to ask questions, check menus and merchandise, and even make orders.

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Telemedicine De-Clutters MMJ Dispensaries

People can now contact their local medical marijuana dispensary using their smartphone or mobile device. This form of telemedicine means that patients do not need to take a trip to their local MMJ dispensary to pick up their prescription or get some advice. MMJ dispensaries are always keen to educate their patients about the newest developments in the MMJ world, and this can now be done using telemedicine. As well as receiving information via telemedicine, many dispensaries will take orders online and even make deliveries. This results in a much quicker and more streamlined service for MMJ patients, as well as dispensaries that are less hectic and cluttered.

Telemedicine Gives MMJ Patients Far More Choice

Telemedicine allows MMJ patients to consult with specialist doctors and dispensaries in any part of their state. Many localities, even in MMJ-friendly states such as California, Colorado, and Florida, have only a small selection of doctors and dispensaries. In smaller, more rural locales, the choice of what doctor a person can visit is very limited. Also, some locations do not yet have a local dispensary, or if they do, it often does not have the wide selection of MMJ treats that other dispensaries in larger towns and cities have. Telemedicine gives people a far wider choice of what doctor they consult with and which dispensary they can purchase their MMJ products from.

Divan - marijuana leaf

Telemedicine is a Giant Time Saver

Traveling to the doctor’s office, waiting in line, and then having a consultation in person can be a very time-consuming undertaking. Telemedicine really improves the lives of MMJ patients who have tight schedules and need to save as much time as possible. Instead of the multi-hour commitment of visiting a doctor in person, an MMJ patient can use telemedicine and have a consultation in a matter of minutes. Patients can also save time by consulting with their local dispensary using telemedicine.

Telemedicine Makes Waiting in a Doctor’s Waiting Room Unnecessary

Many MMJ users have medical conditions that are not contagious in any way. But when they visit a doctor’s office, they are subjected to airborne viruses and germs that can actually make them sicker than they were before they came. People with psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, or insomnia are often otherwise physically healthy. And people with pain conditions and chronic issues such as backache, glaucoma, muscle spasms, and arthritis are often healthy apart from their chronic condition. The last thing these people need is to pick up a cold or flu every time they need to consult with their doctor or pick up a repeat prescription. Telemedicine allows MMJ patients to consult with their doctor without having to queue up in a stuffy, virus-infested waiting room. This certainly makes the lives of MMJ patients much better.

How to Use Telemedicine to Cope with a National Tragedy

Many tragic events have occurred recently in the United States. Whether we are facing a brutal natural disaster (like Hurricane Harvey or the fires in California) or a devastating school shooting (like the one in Parkland, Florida), it has become crucial for us as a nation to reach out for help and support during the aftermath of these types of horrific events. While some people tend to isolate after traumatic events, the increase in telemedicine options is actually starting to allow more individuals to get easy access to support. If you’ve been struggling with complicated emotions due to a national tragedy, here are some suggestions on how you can use telemedicine to get help.

Find a safe space

Your first step should always to be to determine your parameters for feeling safe. If you come up with a list ahead of time of things (or people or places) that make you feel protected, you can start getting support from others. Feeling safer might mean that you get off social media and begin to connect more with people in your day-to-day life. It can also mean that you figure out which people in your life are the most supportive during a difficult time.

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Using telemedicine and the online space can help you to connect with others and work through your emotions after a tragedy.

Get online support from peers

One of the most healing things you can do is to talk about your experience and your feelings. The Internet has allowed us to connect more easily with others (despite our location or proximity to the event). So, you can gain a lot of support from going online and joining support groups. These groups (which are usually free to join) can give you an outlet to express how you’re doing and help you to connect with others about their feelings. This connection can help you feel less isolated and can help remind you that you aren’t the only one feeling distressed.

You can do an online search for support groups that apply to your situation, or you can ask your health care team or insurance provider if they’re able to provide information to connect you with a support group. There are also many Facebook groups that can be helpful if you’re just looking for a forum to connect to people struggling with the same issues as you. It can be extremely therapeutic to share your story with others – or just to be the one on the other side lending your support to those in need. The best guideline is just to remember to take a break if you’re feeling overwhelmed; then you can come back to the discussion boards or chat rooms when you’re feeling more centered.

Take a break from media consumption

It’s great if you’re using the Internet and telemedicine to help you cope with a national tragedy. However, if you’re getting bombarded by news stories and images about the tragedy, you could end up feeling even more traumatized. Try setting boundaries for yourself if you notice you’re getting overwhelmed or are emotionally drained. You can even try setting time limits for yourself (like only 30 minutes of media consumption a day, for example). You can get the online support you need during this time, but then you can allow yourself to turn to other social activities, work, or fun distractions to help get your mind away from the tragedy. Self-care is so critical in times of stress, so make sure you’re not letting yourself get carried away with the news coverage of the event or constant posts on your social media newsfeed.

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Telemedicine allows you to seek counseling and support from the comfort of your own home.

Find support

One of the most significant ways you can use telemedicine to get help is to connect with a mental health professional. While support from friends and family can be helpful, sometimes you might require care from a professional in the field to really get a handle on your emotions or symptoms. Because telemedicine allows you to have video chats or connect through email, you can get instant access to a professional who can come up with a plan to help you manage your feelings.

There are also many benefits to using telemedicine for mental health care instead of visiting someone in person. For example, it’s often cheaper because you don’t have added office visit fees, and it’s more convenient because you don’t have to leave your home, find transportation, or waste time making a trip to an office. Instead, you can get counseling or therapy all from the comfort of your home. If you’re apprehensive about seeking help, telemedicine can give you some peace of mind since you can conduct all of your appointments in a place that feels safest to you. Plus, mental health professionals that work through telemedicine can still promise you the utmost privacy and confidentiality.

Use apps to monitor feelings

Another telemedicine option is to use an app to help keep track of your symptoms. After a traumatic event (especially one on a national scale), you can start to notice that you’re feeling more stressed, anxious, sad, or hopeless. By using an app (like ReallifeChange or iMoodJournal), you can track your moods to see how you’re doing. This can be a helpful way to see if you need to reach out for more support or make an appointment with a mental health professional. You can also use apps for guided meditations and breathing exercises to help you feel more grounded and centered while you’re coping with a traumatic event.

National tragedies are, sadly, becoming increasingly common events. If you’re needing support, you can use these tips and telemedicine options to help get you through a difficult and challenging time.

Why You Need to Make Time to Regularly See Your Doctor (And How Telemedicine Can Help)

Sometimes, seeing your doctor can feel like the last thing that is on your list of priorities. Between work, socializing, family, and other things, it’s easy to let your regular doctor’s appointments slide. But even if you’re healthy, it’s really important to keep in touch with your general practitioner for regular check-ups to make sure that you stay in good working order.

The truth is that seeing a doctor regularly can often help you catch illnesses and conditions at the start before they get too serious. A good example of this is how all young women over a certain age should get a pap smear exam. When caught early, changes in cells in the cervix can be easily treated, but if you let your check-ups lapse, you may have to deal with the stressful treatments associated with cervical cancer – and that’s if you’re lucky enough to catch it in time. It is estimated that over 4,000 women a year will die of cervical cancer in the U.S. every year.

While this may sound like a dramatic doomsday scenario, there are less serious conditions that can be caught and treated by regular visits to your doctor. Anxiety, depression, skin conditions, joint pain, and other everyday ailments can be helped better if your doctor sees you regularly and can assess how you look when things aren’t normal. Regular blood pressure checks and blood tests can also ascertain how your body looks when you’re healthy, so you’ll be in a better position to notice when things aren’t so good.

Divan Medical - doctors with stethoscopes

Regular check-ups with your doctor are important – but what if it’s too hard to find the time to make an appointment? That’s where telemedicine comes in.

Even if you are well, seeing your doctor regularly will also give you access to an expert who can help you improve various parts of your life. Your doctor can advise you on your diet, mental wellness, and exercise routine, and can tell you what things you should avoid if you’re trying to be that little bit healthier.

It’s very easy to say that you need to see your doctor more – but who has the time to do this? If you’re a busy professional with significant work and personal commitments, it’s very difficult to prioritize a doctor’s appointment, especially when it’s “just” for maintenance reasons. It’s hard enough to get to the doctor’s office if you’re actually sick, but the good news is that there’s technology out there that is revolutionizing the lives of busy people everywhere.

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology to deliver diagnostic or other health care advice. While it has been used in history since the advent of telecommunications, it is currently experiencing a boom thanks to the proliferation of smartphones. People who are too busy to see a doctor can use their phones to fill the gap, just like how we can now order groceries, find a date, or have dinner delivered via our phones. Telemedicine is empowering patients to take back control and to prioritize their health in an increasingly busy world.

If you’re nervous about the process of using telemedicine, the good news is that it’s a very easy thing to do. Firstly, you need to find a medical provider that works for you. Some telemedical doctors specialize in certain services, such as emotional support animals, handicap parking permits, or medical marijuana, so if you are in need of something specific, you can find it. However, there are also general practitioners who can become your regular check-up doctor in order for you to keep an eye on your health.

Divan Medical - woman using smartphone app

If you’ve got a smartphone, you can use telemedicine!

Firstly, you log on to the medical provider’s website and you’ll either be connected straight to a doctor or directed to a virtual waiting room. Once you are connected to a doctor, they will conduct your appointment through the camera function on your smartphone. If you have specific physical symptoms, you can use the camera to show them to the doctor and they can send you to a facility if you need further testing, but otherwise, it is just like an in-person appointment. You can be as open and honest as you need to be with your doctor. It’s just a different format.

If you need a prescription, they will usually send it to your pharmacy so that the medication will be ready and waiting for you. In addition, telemedicine providers usually operate with differing working hours, so that you can usually find an appointment outside of office hours. Telemedical appointments also usually cost less than traditional ones, as they often don’t incur the same operating costs associated with running a doctor’s clinic.

Keeping all of this in mind, there really is no reason that you shouldn’t start making more regular appointments to see a doctor. Log on, see what all the fuss is about, and change your life. Your body will thank you for it!

Why MMJ Patients in California Are Still Using Telemedicine to Get a Medical Marijuana Card

Telemedicine is an incredibly fast-growing industry that’s only going to expand further in the future. There are so many benefits to accessing health care through technology – everything from consulting with a specialist not geographically close to you, to getting a diagnosis through a video chat with your doctor. One of the fields where telemedicine is being used even more is related to medical marijuana. Even though recreational marijuana is now legally available in California, there are still tons of reasons to get a medical marijuana card. In addition to getting to avoid that pesky sales tax and having the opportunity to grow more plants, using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card couldn’t be easier. The super-simple process means you can steer clear of doctor’s office waiting rooms and use online services, like MMJRecs, to get your cannabis card.

Clear-cut pricing

Using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card means you won’t have to succumb to any of those hidden fees or increased prices that you might be stuck with going to a regular doctor’s office. When you use a site like MMJRecs, you’ll get straightforward prices with a flat rate. If you just need an MMJ recommendation from a doctor, you only pay $59. For the doctor’s recommendation and an ID card, it’ll run you $84. The best deal is the package option that includes the recommendation, ID card, and a grower’s permit for just $149. Plus, if you aren’t approved for an MMJ card, you have a 100% money-back guarantee!

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Telemedicine is really revolutionizing the way MMJ patients access their treatment.

Easy-to-complete online forms

Going to a regular physician instead of using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card can mean you have to fill out a bunch of forms about your health history and symptoms (not to mention all that other paperwork you have to complete any time you visit the doctor’s office). However, if you use telemedicine to obtain a cannabis card, you can simply fill out a quick and easy form online. You’ll be asked basic questions about your health condition and how using marijuana could help alleviate your symptoms. The forms don’t take long to complete, so you won’t be bogged down by paperwork.

Online doctor evaluations

It can be a stressful, time-consuming process to visit your doctor’s office. You have to make an appointment, coordinate transportation, and spend your valuable time in a waiting room. Using a site like MMJRecs means you can have a consultation with a licensed physician without ever leaving your home. They’re available round the clock, every day of the week. More than 420 doctors are selected from the California Medical Board Licensed Marijuana Doctors. The physicians are also all HIPAA (Health and Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)-compliant, so you can be sure your private and sensitive information stays that way. The physician will then look over your information with you on a video call (all 100% online) through your computer or on your smartphone – so you can even conduct the consultation while you’re on the go! Most of the evaluations end up taking less than 20 minutes from start to finish.

Instant email delivery of your recommendation

Once the doctor has discussed your medical needs, they’ll go over the benefits and risks of using marijuana products. If the physician believes it would be in your best interest to get a medical marijuana card, they’ll immediately email you a legal medical marijuana recommendation. You can instantly print it out and use it at most dispensaries and delivery services throughout the state. Just the day after, you’ll also be sent an official, embossed recommendation mailed to your home address (which serves as a valid form of documentation for your MMJ card).

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Using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card can help you save valuable cash.

Exclusive discounts and offers

 

After you receive your MMJ card, you can access exclusive discounts from the MMJRecs site, as well as medical marijuana dispensaries and online stores. These discounts (along with the savings you’ll get without paying sales tax on your products) can significantly help decrease your cannabis costs. If the dispensary of your choosing offers a rewards program, you should definitely sign up. They can offer deals or coupons (like a percentage off your first purchase) or even provide store credit bonuses. You could even earn rewards if you recommend other MMJ users to their store. These savings can help demonstrate how much more beneficial having an MMJ card can be versus just buying cannabis products for recreational use.

If you think your health could benefit from consuming medical marijuana, you can easily complete these simple steps, using telemedicine to get a medical marijuana card today.

Can I Use Telemedicine to Get an Emotional Support Animal?

Emotional support animals, or ESAs, are often misunderstood in the media, but the truth is that they are an essential tool that can help people lessen the symptoms of their emotional or psychological conditions. Some people mistakenly feel that an emotional support animal is just a glorified pet, but these creatures can actually help to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and panic attacks. The truth is that as well as being pets, emotional support animals offer a unique form of support to their owners that allows them to live their best possible lives.

The problem with getting treatment from an emotional support animal is that many people who would benefit from them are self-conscious about seeking treatment and are unsure of the best people to speak to in order to get their pets certified. The good news is that, thanks to telemedicine, the process has never been easier.

Telemedicine is the process of delivering health or diagnostic advice through telecommunications technology. While it is experiencing a boom now through the advent of smartphones, it has been used in many guises since telecommunications has been invented. Thanks to smartphones, more and more patients are using telecommunications to access excellent health care, often at more convenience and at more affordable prices.

Divan Medical - emotional support cat

Emotional support animals can be an amazing form of therapy and treatment for people with emotional disorders.

So, how can you use telemedicine to get an emotional support animal? Well, first you need to know how emotional support animals become certified. To qualify as an emotional support animal, your pet needs an official document called an emotional support animal letter. This can only be obtained from a qualified medical professional, but the good news is that telemedicine completely facilitates you getting your ESA letter.

The first step is that you either make an appointment or “drop in” to an online telemedicine clinic (such as Moosh). You may have to wait to see a doctor in a virtual waiting room, but once you’re in with a medical professional, it’s just like seeing a regular doctor in person. You will use the camera on your phone to speak to the doctor and explain why you need an emotional support animal. They will ask about your condition and how the pet supports you, and you’ll be given an opportunity to discuss the ways in which your pet could act as an emotional support animal and to get advice from the medical professional. Then, if you are deemed suitable, the doctor will provide you with an emotional support animal letter, which will act as a legal document for you to ensure that your emotional support animal receives protection under the law. The letter is signed, stamped, and dated and is valid for one year, so if you wish to continue to register your pet as an emotional support animal, you’ll need to have another appointment to renew your documentation.

There are so many perks to using telemedicine in this way, but the key advantage for many people with the conditions that can benefit most from ESAs is that it allows them to see a non-judgmental medical professional in a way that is convenient for them. Sometimes, medical professionals who are not as educated in emotional support animals can be overly judgmental about people seeking this treatment. In using telemedicine, it is much easier to seek out someone who specializes in this treatment and who is used to seeing and treating people just like you.

Divan Medical - man with dog and computer

In the new age of telemedicine, it’s never been easier to get your pet certified as an emotional support animal.

If you suffer from a condition that makes it difficult for you to leave the house, it’s also very helpful that you can use telemedicine from the comfort of your own home. The paradox is that often, in getting an emotional support animal, you will feel less anxious and more able to leave the house and live a happy and fulfilled life, but your symptoms can often make it very difficult to get the documentation you need to properly access this treatment. When you get a telemedical appointment, you’ll be able to speak to someone openly and honestly from your own home, comfortable in the knowledge that they won’t judge you and they’ll be happy to give you the advice and documentation that you need.

You may already be getting the benefits of an emotional support animal from your regular pet, but if you have the documentation, you’ll be able to get benefits while traveling or renting a home that would not be open to you otherwise. In using telemedicine to access these benefits, you’re empowering yourself to take control of your own life and health with the help of telemedical professionals who want to make sure that patients get the chance to access the medical care that they need without any fear of judgment.

Emotional Support Animals: Why Telemedicine Is Crucial To Their Popularity Growth

It wasn’t that long ago that if you’d said the words “emotional support animal” to someone, they might have given you an odd kind of look. Nowadays, though, a lot of people have not only heard of emotional support animals – they actually own one. With recognized qualifying conditions – such as depression, autism, anxiety, and panic attacks – unfortunately on the increase, it’s no small wonder that folk are turning to companion pet certification instead of medication as an alternative to alleviating their condition. An emotional support animal is not just any old pet; it’s one that specifically helps you cope with your psychological or emotional disorder.

If a furry friend helps to relax you, or aids your confidence in social situations, or is simply a much-needed companion because you find it hard to leave the house – then what’s not to like about him or her? It’s easy to see why more and more people are turning to emotional support animals. In the past, it was believed that only a dog could fulfill the function of an ESA, but now it’s well-documented that more or less any type of animal can become an ESA. The choice is yours! So if you don’t like big animals, you could choose a rabbit maybe, or even a mouse. If you don’t like dogs or cats, then how about a pig! It’s not unheard of. Providing you qualify for and obtain your emotional support animal letter, you get to select your ESA.

Divan Medical - guinea pig pet

An emotional support animal doesn’t have to be a cat or dog – it can be virtually any type of pet!

With the advent of specific laws relating to emotional support animals, and the adaption of existing laws in favor of people with a recognized disability, it’s now even possible to take your ESA on a flight in the cabin with you – providing you have the correct emotional support animal letter that is. It’s also possible to have your pet live with you in rented accommodation, without paying extra for the privilege. Landlords are required to make “reasonable accommodations” for their tenants so that they can live comfortably with their companion pet. The same applies to students in university accommodation, thanks to a 2013 amendment to the Housing Act. Your emotional support animal letter also allows you access to certain public areas where regular pets are not allowed. Be wise with your choice of pet, though, if you want to take advantage of all or any of the above!

It’s easy to see why and how emotional support animals are continually growing in popularity. There is no doubt that they are helping many people who, without them, could not cope with the normal pressures of daily life and living. Also, as referred to above, the introduction and adaptation of various laws are making it less complicated for these people to lead more regular lives with the help of their pet.

So how does telemedicine fit in with emotional support animals, and what part does it have to play in its continuing growth?

It’s probably fair to say that without telemedicine; a lot of people wouldn’t have their emotional support animal today. Most of the conditions which lead to folk benefiting from an ESA are to do with anxiety, panic attacks, fear of public places, fear of social situations, and so on. Imagine, then, if you had to firstly make an appointment with a licensed mental health expert; go to said expert’s office for the appointment; sit in a waiting room alongside other people; and then finally go through a face-to-face assessment about your condition with the specialist. You might think twice about doing all of that, wouldn’t you? Or maybe you live in a rural area where access to any kind of medical personnel means a long journey – something you simply can’t undertake.

Divan Medical - woman using computer and phone

Advances in telemedicine have been crucial to the widespread awareness and popularity of emotional support animals.

Well, thanks to telemedicine, you don’t have to do any of these things. You can apply for your emotional support animal letter online. You don’t need to leave the house and you don’t need an “in-person” chat. The assessment can be done fully in writing, or via a telephone or video call. There’s an initial questionnaire to complete, which outlines your own particular requirements. The specialist will then consult with you about your condition. The deciding factor on whether or not your application is successful is if the specialist believes that an emotional support animal in your life would help alleviate your symptoms. You will be told the outcome of your application at the end of the consultation. Once approved, your ESA letter will be mailed to you. No in-person contact is needed at all!

Once you have your letter, you will have access to the benefits listed above. Telemedicine will help you in these areas too. If you want to take your ESA on the plane with you, no problem: just contact the airline and fax or scan your letter across to them. Same with applying to have your pet in your rented accommodation – you don’t need to speak to the landlord in person about this. Just send them a copy of your ESA letter electronically. As you can see, we’ve actually been using telemedicine for some time without realizing it!

It’s vital that the developments in telemedicine continue apace and that it becomes more mainstream and generally more accessible. Without it, a lot of people’s conditions would be undocumented and therefore unresolved. Telepyschiatry is an area of telemedicine that is rapidly becoming popular and widespread. This is exactly the sort of thing that is crucial to diagnosing patients who might not be able to travel to see an expert in person and would therefore go undiagnosed. The recommendation to apply for emotional support animal registration is just one of several solutions that the specialist may come up with, and it turns out to be absolutely the right solution for many people.

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