Jefferson Health, a giant and growing system of hospitals and clinics in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas, has expanded into the trendy telehealth market. Their new app, JeffConnect, lets you video chat with a doctor pretty much whenever you need to.
You heard us. No more hellishly long walks to student health. No more ER visits that aren’t actual emergencies just because SHS is closed. Urgent care doctors are on call, eagerly waiting to see your beautiful, snot–covered face.
Another great thing about this app is that you don’t need to have ever seen a Jefferson doctor and actually don’t even need insurance. They’re working with Independence Blue Cross to start getting reimbursements in the next month or so, but for now, all urgent care Skype “visits” are a flat $49. Considering how much a visit to the ER can cost and the fact that you can literally be in bed, this is pretty incredible.
While there’s no substitute for a physical exam, these Jeff-Connect doctors are trained and experienced in telehealth. If you have a sore throat, for example, they might ask you to shine your phone light down your throat. Modern medicine at its finest.
And yes, the doctors can prescribe medication (just not pain meds or other controlled substances). If you’ve had something before and know exactly what you need, a quick video chat can do the trick. You could save a lot of time getting antibiotics for sinus infections or UTIs, or avoid those times when you go to SHS and they tell you all you need is some over–the–counter Mucinex and Tylenol.
JeffConnect can do so much more than just give you advice for a common cold. You can make appointments with different departments, so if you wanted to talk to a psychiatrist, you can video chat and actually see them (not just hear a voice on the phone) from the comfort of your own home. If you’ve seen a gynecologist at Jefferson and need to have a quick follow–up visit to see how your birth control is working, you can do that using JeffConnect. And last but certainly not least, if you have a massive breakout and can’t wait six months to see a dermatologist because you have a date night in a week, you can see a dermatologist at Jefferson and get your prescription renewed stat
