It depends. Telehealth platforms like Sesame make it easier than ever to see a doctor online from the comfort of your home through virtual visits. These are real-time video chats with doctors and providers that are used to address symptoms, discuss prescriptions, and screen for health care conditions. Telehealth (also known as telemedicine) is a convenient way to see a health care provider without requiring the commute and waiting rooms of office visits.

In-person visits, however, are vital health services. Certain conditions and specialty care services cannot be diagnosed or performed via a telehealth visit. Lab testing, for instance, often requires an in-person appointment at a doctor's office. Similarly, some physical exams, chronic condition consultations, and urgent care needs require in-person care. Some patients feel more comfortable receiving their care through in-person doctor visits, and many telehealth services require in-person visits before a condition can be definitively diagnosed.

Health care marketplaces like Sesame offer both in-person and virtual care options. If you're unsure whether or not you need to see a provider face-to-face, we recommend that you book a video doctor visit to discuss your concerns and talk through any symptoms you may be experiencing. If an in-person doctor appointment is required, you can easily book a visit through Sesame's scheduling platform.

Sesame makes it easier than ever to find and pay doctors online directly - allowing you to book an in-person or telehealth appointment in less than two minutes. To get care today, follow these easy steps:

• Search for telehealth or in-person appointments by specialty, condition, or provider
  
• Choose a provider at a price and time that work for you.
  
• Pay for your appointment online, up front.
  
• Before your appointment begins, complete a brief medical history form.
  
• If you’re seeing a doctor online, click the link sent to your email to join a secure online telehealth appointment. If you’re seeing a doctor in person, go to their office at the time of your appointment.
  
• If you are prescribed medication and choose medication delivery, it is usually delivered to your home within 2-3 business days. Otherwise, you can select a local pharmacy often with same-day pick-up. Providers on Sesame can prescribe anything deemed medically appropriate, except for the limited set of controlled substances (as defined under the Controlled Substances Act).
  

Telehealth can be less expensive than traditional face-to-face care. Telehealth can also be more convenient - avoiding the need to travel to a medical facility.

Telehealth can help people with semi-urgent same-day needs as well as chronic conditions. A study in the journal Telemedicine and e-Health finds that telehealth can be useful for patients with diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension, among other chronic conditions.

Telehealth is good for urgent care visits when you need a prescription, a refill, or medical care that can be provided over a video call.

Researchers have found that telehealth services were linked with more home care, fewer emergency department visits, and higher satisfaction.

For many patients, it is less expensive to use telehealth than face-to-face care. A traditional face-to-face visit with a provider can cost from $100 to $500 on average. Urgent care facility prices also widely vary. A telehealth visit on Sesame ranges from $24 to $70 dollars depending on the region and time of day.

After you book a video appointment, you will receive both an initial confirmation and a reminder via email and text.

There are three ways in which a video visit can be accessed:

• Select "Join virtual appointment" from the booking confirmation email.
  
• If you have an existing account or created one at purchase, log in at sesamecare.com, navigate to 'My appointments,' and select "Join virtual appointment."
  
• Click the link in the text message sent to you 15 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time.
  

We suggest using Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari to connect to your visit.

It is up to the provider to determine what services they offer through a virtual appointment. Examples of care you can find on marketplaces like Sesame include:

• Primary care
  
• Urgent care (for conditions such as rashes, sore throat, migraines, UTIs, and more)
  
• Sexual health consultations
  
• Mental health consultations
  
• Chronic condition management
  
• Dermatology consultations
  
• Prescription refills
  
• Pediatric care
  

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not use telehealth. Instead, call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately.

After you book an online doctor appointment, you will receive an email with a link to join the video visit. You will also be able to access this link in another reminder email you will receive 30 minutes prior to the appointment start time, as well as within your account.

Sesame works via a weblink. There is no need to download any software to have a telehealth appointment on Sesame. Sesame works on all modern web browsers.

You can use your phone, tablet, or computer for a telehealth appointment on Sesame.

If you're using your phone or tablet, be sure to download the Sesame app so that you can join your visit with ease.

If you're using your computer, Sesame works on the web through your web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge or Firefox).

While Sesame supports face to face video communications, turning on your video is not required if this makes you uncomfortable.

Over the past few years, telehealth has transformed the healthcare landscape giving patients better access to quality doctors and providers. Still, some may be unfamiliar with telehealth and its benefits.

In the simplest terms, telehealth is a means of managing your health with the use of digital platforms, video, and virtual consults with online doctors and providers. This includes:

- Virtual appointments: the ability to see your doctor virtually with video consultations. This is perfect for both new patients and those with ongoing appointments that don’t require an in-person visit. Despite what you may have heard, many conditions can actually be treated over video, including toothaches, moles, warts, UTIs and other vaginal infections, and more.

- Correspondence between doctors: By promoting faster, more efficient means of communication, telehealth allows for doctors to better coordinate and address patient needs.

- Virtual health records: Apps, sometimes called personal health record systems (PHRs) allow for the viewing of health care records from a web-enabled device.

- Remote Monitoring: Apps that upload medical information, such as lung function, blood pressure, and blood glucose readings, so that your doctor can monitor you virtually.

Yes, physicians on Sesame can prescribe a wide range of medications, which can be useful for infections, allergies, and other acute ailments. Please note that they will not prescribe certain drugs, such as narcotics or medications that have been designated controlled substances through telehealth.

Otherwise, many of the prescriptions available in an office setting or urgent care can be prescribed if your clinician deems it appropriate.

Sesame makes it easier than ever to get a prescription or refill a prescription from the comfort of your own home! To discuss a new prescription or refill, book a video visit with a doctor on Sesame. Physicians on Sesame can prescribe drugs that help treat infections, allergies, high blood pressure, and more.

Note that doctors on Sesame cannot prescribe controlled substances

Plus, because Sesame works to set prices directly with doctors, you can find visits with doctors at rates up to 60% less than what you’ll find through insurance networks.

Book a video visit on Sesamecare.com based on the health care you need, and pick up a new prescription or existing prescription refill at a pharmacy of your choice. If you don’t want to go pick up a prescription in-person, many pharmacies offer a prescription mail service for home delivery. Your medication will be shipped directly to you. Browse services on Sesame, set up an appointment with a real doctor at your convenience, and get the care you need. It’s simple, convenient, and affordable. Book a visit today!

Yep! If you request a prescription transfer, you can easily move your prescription from one pharmacy to another. Plus, many pharmacies now offer mail services for home delivery. Here's how to request a prescription refill at a different pharmacy:

1) Call your new preferred pharmacy to request a transfer.

2) Provide that pharmacy with health insurance/ prescription info

3) Wait for the prescription to be transferred before you pick it up. It usually takes pharmacies a few days to transfer a prescription, but you will get a notification once this step has been completed. Either go pick up your prescription in person or set up home delivery.

If you need a prescription refill, book a visit with a real, quality doctor on Sesame today. Doctors on Sesame can refill prescriptions for high blood pressure, birth control, allergies, and more! Save up to 60% on your prescription refill visit when you book with Sesame.