The Telehealth Urgent Care Experience: What to Expect?

Urgent care services are for patients who experience an unexpected but non-life-threatening health concern. If you can’t get an appointment with your primary care provider and your condition doesn’t warrant a trip to the emergency department, you can get care using telehealth urgent care. 

Using telehealth urgent care, you can access a board-certified medical provider virtually using your phone, tablet or desktop from the comfort of your home.  

What to Expect During a Telehealth Urgent Care Appointment

With urgent care telehealth, you don’t need to schedule an appointment. You can request an on-demand visit any time of the day or night. 

To request an urgent care telehealth appointment, you typically log onto the website of the urgent care center and look for a button or link to request an appointment.

There are a few different ways you can access care through a telehealth appointment, including: 

Online health interview 

Similar to if you were visiting an urgent care clinic in person, you’re asked to fill in some information about how you are feeling and the symptoms you’re experiencing. 

In some cases, you might want to include a photo of a wound or an area of concern. You can send images to your provider from your computer or phone. This process usually takes between five and 15 minutes to complete. 

Next, a provider will review your interview responses and create a treatment plan, which might include a prescription. 

Once your treatment plan is finished, you’re notified of your results—usually within an hour.  

If a prescription is part of your treatment plan, you can request that it be sent to the pharmacy of your choice. 

Video Interview  

Another way to communicate with an urgent care provider is through video interviews. This follows a similar process as the online interview. 

You start by providing some information about your symptoms before you meet with the healthcare professional over video. 

You are then sent to a video waiting room, where you are alerted when your provider is ready to start the appointment.

Interviews are usually 10 to 15 minutes. During this time, your provider will create a treatment plan, which may include a prescription. If you require a prescription, it can be delivered to the pharmacy of your choice.  

Common Conditions Treated Through Urgent Care Telehealth

Using urgent care telehealth, you can access care for many common conditions, including: 

• Acne
• Athletes foot
• Cold sore or fever blister
• Common cold
• COVID-19 treatments 
• Eczema
• Flu exposure
• Head lice
• Minor burns and sunburns
• Pink eye
• Seasonal allergies
• Skin irritation
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
• And more…

Experience the Benefits of Telehealth Urgent Care 

There are many benefits of telehealth urgent care. From increasing access to care in remote and rural areas to reducing costs associated with travel and 24/7 availability. The next time you or a loved one encounter a non-life-threatening illness or condition, consider an urgent care telehealth appointment.