Here are some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about telemedicine:
What is telemedicine?
Telemedicine is the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care and patient health-related education. It is a valid alternative to the usual in-person way of providing care to the patients.
What is telepsychiatry?
Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatric services such as psychiatric evaluations, medication management, therapy, and patient education remotely via telemedicine.
How is telemedicine delivered?
Telemedicine is delivered via video-conferencing using secure (HIPAA compliant) telemedicine software.
During COVID-19 emergency only, providers may deliver care to their patients via popular video telephony software such as Facetime, Skype, Google Duo, etc.
Does my insurance cover telemedicine visits?
Most commercial insurance plans cover telemedicine visits. Medicare covers telemedicine visits but with some restrictions.
During COVID-19 emergency, Medicare and all commercial plans have significantly expanded telemedicine coverage for all its members.
Please call and check with your insurance carrier regarding telemedicine coverage under your insurance plan.
If your insurance does not cover telemedicine, you can pay out of pocket for your telemedicine session.
Do I have to pay out of pocket for telemedicine?
Depending on your insurance plan, you may have to pay deductible, copay, or coinsurance for your telemedicine visit.
If you do not have insurance, you will have to pay out-of-pocket for your telemedicine visit.
How does telemedicine work?
Our office staff or provider will send you an invitation via email to sign up for our telemedicine platform Clocktree. You will create an account on Clocktree before your appointment. On the day of your appointment, please log into your Clocktree account and wait for your clinician to call you via Clocktree software. When the clinician will call you, you will hear a ring and a pop-up will appear asking you to join the session. Click “Join” to be connected with your provider.
You can download detailed instructions HERE.
To log into Clocktree, please visit https://www.clocktree.com/
Do I need an email account for a telemedicine session?
Yes, we require clients to have an email for setting up a Clocktree account.
What devices can I use to join the online session?
You may use any Windows, Mac, iOS, or Android based desktop, laptop, or mobile device to join the online session.
When I log into my Clocktree account, I don’t see an appointment scheduled? Is that okay?
Yes, that’s fine. All our appointments are scheduled on our Electronic Health Record (EHR) system AdvancedMD. We use Clocktree for video interaction purpose primarily. Your clinician can call you via instant call feature which does not require an appointment to be scheduled on Clocktree. This means an easier process for you as well because you just have to log into Clocktree and wait for the provider to call you via instant call feature.
Is there a way I can test my audio/video on Clocktree before my appointment?
Yes, these instructions are available in our telemedicine guide for patients. Please download guide from HERE.
I am a new patient who has opted for telemedicine. I need to send my new patient paperwork to the practice securely. What are my options?
You can either fax your paperwork to 302-384-7162 or you can send it very securely via Clocktree. For downloading detailed messaging instructions via Clocktree, please click HERE.
I don’t want to sign up for Clocktree, what are my options for meeting my clinician remotely?
We request (insist) that patients sign up for Clocktree as much as possible. It is very secure and HIPAA compliant. During normal times, healthcare laws require us to conduct telemedicine sessions via HIPAA compliant software only. However, during the COVID-19 emergency only, these laws have been relaxed temporarily which allows clinicians to call via Facetime, Google Duo, Skype, etc. If you want to consider an alternative option please discuss this with our front desk staff and/or your clinician.
If you do not have a smartphone or computer, telephone session may be an option during COVID-19 emergency only.
Will I get reminders for my telemedicine appointment?
Yes, you will continue to get reminders from our EHR. If you receive a reminder with location listed as Newark/Wilmington even though you were scheduled a telemedicine appointment, please ignore that.
