It depends on your needs! Virtual care (telemedicine) is convenient for discussing symptoms, prescriptions, and general concerns. However, some health appointments, like physical exams, surgeries, or certain lab tests, require an in-person visit.

If you're not sure what type of medical care to book, start with a virtual visit through Sesame – your provider can advise if in-person care is needed. You can also learn more about telehealth vs in-person care here.

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.

To book an online doctor appointment on Sesame, simply use our search bar to look up your health concerns (such as "prescription refill", "weight loss", or "UTI").

From there, simply browse providers, choose a time that works for you, and complete your checkout. You’ll receive a booking confirmation with a link for your video visit, which you can join from your desktop, tablet or smartphone.

You can get care online for a wide range of health needs on Sesame, including:

• Prescription refills
• Urgent care visits (cold & flu, UTIs, COVID, sinus infections, back pain, nausea, sports injuries, wound care, etc)
• Primary care visits (doctor’s notes, chronic conditions such as allergies, asthma, diabetes, etc)
• Weight loss
• Dermatology (acne, eczema, rashes, etc.)
• Sexual health (BV, ED consults, at-home STD test kit, etc.)
• Women’s health (birth control, vaginal infections, yeast infections, menopause, PCOS, etc.)
• Mental health (therapy and psychiatry for anxiety, depression, insomnia, PTSD & more)
• Pediatrics (ear infections, strep throat, pink eye, etc.)
  
  If you are experiencing a medical emergency, do not use telemedicine. Instead, call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately.

After you book your appointment, you’ll receive a video link via text and/or email. Simply click that link at your scheduled appointment time to join your video visit.

You can join your appointment using your smartphone, tablet, or computer.

• On a smartphone or tablet: Download the Sesame Care app for the best experience.
• On a computer: Just use a web browser like Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox.
  
  While Sesame supports face-to-face video communications, turning on your video is not required if this makes you uncomfortable.

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.