There’s a new revolution in health
care. And it comes courtesy of the
Internet. With so many people online
every day, it’s no wonder 90 percent
of patients who go online want
online access to their physicians,
according to a Harris Interactive
Survey. In addition, half of those
who want online physician access
said it would influence their choice
of physicians.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Florida and its HMO subsidiary,
Health Options, are proud to be the
first in Florida to offer comprehensive
e–Medicine1 services. If your
doctor has registered for the online
service, you can communicate with
him or her securely and confidentially
about nonurgent health care
needs. Members who sign on for
an online medical consultation are
asked to complete a questionnaire
about their symptoms.
There’s more. You can schedule,
reschedule or cancel appointments,
request prescription refills, request
referrals and receive normal lab and
test results. You also can develop a
personal online health record for
use between you and your physician.
What’s more, with this secure
system, your privacy is protected.
All administrative services are free
of charge to members—patients
pay only their share for an online
medical consultation (the same out-of-
pocket amount as a face-to-face
office visit). Online medical consultations
are covered services.
For busy physician offices, phone
tag can be a time-consuming task.
“Every day I have a stack of phone
messages I have to return during
my lunch or between appointments,”
says one doctor. “And when I’m
actually lucky enough to catch
someone live, I have no control over
how long the conversation is going
to be.” Now, he says, answering
nonurgent patient queries is much
more efficient.
Convenient, efficient, time-saving.
Would you like to use the convenience
of email to communicate with
your doctor? If so, ask your family
physician if he or she participates
in our new e-Medicine program.
www.bcbsfl.com
Click on Members; Products, Plans & Services; e–Medicine
