The Virtual Primary Care journey is different for everyone. Whether it’s a routine checkup, mental health inquiry or specialist recommendation, Virtual Primary Care is a convenient, cost-effective solution that creates a unique member experience.
Here is an example of a member's experience to show just how unique a Virtual Primary Care visit can be.
Help with High Cholesterol
This member is a 39-year-old woman with an active and healthy lifestyle. She had not seen a healthcare provider in 2 years and scheduled an appointment for a routine physical and lab work. There was no cost for this member to use First Stop Health Virtual Primary Care.
Consultation
The member requested a visit with a First Stop Health (FSH) Virtual Primary Care doctor for a routine physical. Because of her active and healthy lifestyle, she ignored a proactive healthcare regimen.
During the consultation, the doctor ordered routine lab work. FSH has national partnerships with LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics so members can choose a lab based on their preferences. This member elected Quest because it was geographically convenient for her and the lab work order was sent following the consultation.
Lab Work Reminder
Through FSH’s custom EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system, we receive the bloodwork results directly from the lab back into our system. Our EMR system showed no lab results, so a friendly reminder was triggered and sent to the member.
Results and Follow-Up
The member completed her lab work and the results were sent to her FSH Virtual Primary Care doctor for review. A surprise to the member, her bloodwork showed that she had high cholesterol. As part of the follow-up process, an action plan was put into place which outlined a dietary plan and a 6-month follow-up was scheduled to have more bloodwork done to track cholesterol levels.
This process was completed over a 5-week period, greatly shortening the primary care experience. The member did not have to worry about travel, finding childcare or waiting to see a doctor.
Importance of Primary Care
This member’s lifestyle was focused on wellness and she deferred routine checkups assuming she was perfectly healthy. There are few symptoms that indicate a person has high blood cholesterol so this member would not know to make lifestyle changes to better her health.1
High cholesterol “can significantly increase your risk of developing chest pain, heart attack, and stroke.”2 With FSH Virtual Primary Care, members have access to free, quality care to help with the management of high cholesterol and other preventive diseases. Virtual Primary Care doctors can help with the management of high cholesterol with dietary planning, weight management, smoking cessation, medications and more.2
First Stop Health Virtual Primary Care
Virtual Primary Care is comprised of urgent care, preventive care and chronic care. Urgent care is available to members 24/7 for non-emergency, episodic health issues. Preventive care encompasses routine check-ups and lab or screening referrals to track overall health. Finally, chronic care is the treatment and maintenance of ongoing health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or obesity. There are no costs or predefined limits on the number of visits for First Stop Health members.
- https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/heart-and-vascular-articles/primary-care-provider-is-key-to-your-heart-health
- https://www.uptodate.com/contents/high-cholesterol-and-lipid-treatment-options-beyond-the-basics