Have you been thinking about getting expert medical advice online? You are not alone, because this boom in the health care industry is helping patients around the world obtain invaluable medical advice. Finding a doctor online has become a simple endeavor as well, helping you get the information or second opinion you deserve.
Heart issues, cancer, diabetes, spinal surgery, hypertension, lung cancer, chemotherapy, and pregnancy and birth issues, are all medical conditions and treatments that can be discussed online. In fact, a survey found that 65 percent of people avoid the doctor office and seek medical advice online instead.
If finding a doctor on the Internet is your next step in seeking expert medical advice, these five tips are essential for your next health inspired browsing session.
1. Finding a Doctor Online for Expert Medical Advice is Trending
More and more patients are turning to the Internet to find the answers to their medical questions. Questions about hypertension, heart issues, and types of cancer like lung cancer have all been hot keywords for online medical and second opinion platforms.
Since 2007, Google searches for doctors and medical advice have doubled, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey. And finding a doctor online is easier and safer than ever before. You can get all the doctor stats via various platforms like Healthgrades or Vitals.
2. Medical Advice and Second Opinion Platforms Offer Professional Bedside Manner
Doctors know how important bedside manner is in the digital era, because patients can blast reviews about their performance for any potential patients to see. This makes finding a doctor online not only easy, but also a comfortable experience.
Many medical advice and second opinion platforms are even serving up detailed doctor profiles that give patients a better overall picture. Second opinion sites like yourdoctors.online have gone to great lengths to ensure patients get the best bedside manner by doing just that.
3. Understand the Catch-22 of Finding a Doctor on the Internet
One important element to understand when finding a doctor online is that the Internet can be unkind. Many reviews by patients could be biased, and there has also been an issue regarding little data on procedure outcomes.
Seeking medical advice via the Internet is indeed a powerful way for you to get the information and second opinion you deserve. However, the catch-22 is a lack of current data since this industry is still new. As it continues to blossom, and HIPAA compliances are met, this issue will become a thing of the past.
4. Have Access to North American Doctors from Anywhere in the World
One of the biggest benefits of finding a doctor online is that you literally have expert physicians at your fingertips. And you can access them from anywhere in the world. Now you can get diagnosis and treatment medical advice for chemotherapy, pregnancy pain, diabetes issues, lung cancer, and heart issues from the comfort of your home.
If you live in a rural area, getting to the doctor’s office can be a real chore, especially if you have a serious medical condition that requires multiple trips per month. This makes medical advice via the Internet a valuable resource for those unable to travel as often as required.
5. Find Out if Your Insurance Covers Finding a Doctor Online
The boom of medical advice and second opinion platforms has allowed many medical insurance companies to incorporate costs into plans. When finding a doctor online, ensure your costs, or at least most of your costs, are covered.
Many medical platforms on the Internet have expert associates ready to assist in helping you find out what may or may not be covered. It is, however, solely up to your medical insurance provider. Many plans do cover second opinions for serious conditions such as heart issues, types of cancer like lung cancer, back pain, sinus infections, and spinal surgeries.
Submitted by Dr. Asim Cheema: https://stmichaelshospitalresearch.ca/researchers/asim-cheema/
