Medical Care for the 21st Century Family

These days things are changing rapidly.  There is a new generation phone what seems like annually and your OS on your computer can become obsolete in 4 short years.  I’m still trying to figure out HOW, but that’s another story.  Now don’t get me wrong our lives are moving in some great directions that I am super pleased to know about.  One of which is online medical care from sites like Convenient Care Now by Hackensack University Health Network.  (Currently Convenient Care Now is only available in New Jersey.  Readers outside of New Jersey will not have the same experience.)

I will admit I was skeptical. I asked myself why I would ever in a million years go to an online provider that has no clue about me or my family.  And then it hit me, because they are experts.  I am in a few mom groups on Facebook and not a day goes by that one or two moms aren’t freaking out about “Jimmy’s rash”.  They ask other moms for advice, if what they are looking at is normal, or have they seen it before, could it be dangerous?  Or my personal favorite, “my kid has had a high fever for 4-5 days, think I should take them to the pediatrician?”.  Umm, what? Of course you should take them to the Dr. and moreover why are you asking a group of women who are not trained/certified medical professionals about something like this?  More often than not I see questions in these groups at night or early morning after their Pediatrician or Primary Care Physician are snuggled warm in their beds. So you have to wait until the morning or go to the closest Children’s Hospital ER, if your town is lucky enough to have one.

I signed into the site not knowing what to expect.  The steps for singing up and in here fairly simple.  Sign into ConvenientCareNow.com, create a username/password, and enter your demographics.  From there you are prompted to a screen where you select a provider.  You have a chance to enter what your call is about, any medical history, and any questions you have before they contact your selected doctor.  You can also select a pharmacy and pay.  The payment area is where you will enter the code for your first free visit, I’ll get to that code very shortly.  There is a brief hold while the doctor reviews all of the submitted information before they come online, FACE to FACE … so cool!I was wanting to talk to a Doctor about some advice for dealing with the cold and flu season, and the best practices for helping to stay healthy!  Dr. Richard Han was a perfect fit so after a quick review of his credentials, it was time to check out.  I was given a code making my first visit free.  You can also try out Convenient Care Now with your first visit free.  Just enter the code CARENOW15 at checkout.  Dr. Han was available within 2 minutes and ready for our consult.

I am a very social person but the idea of a one on one video chat with a complete stranger made me nervous.  All of those nerves quickly subsided once Dr. Han and I started getting into the point of my call.  I talked briefly with Dr. Han about our family dynamic. Almost 3yr old who is extremely oral. I seriously can’t keep that kids hands out of her mouth to save my life.  A 10 month old with a mild Antibody disorder. And two busy parents who just want us all to survive this upcoming cold and flu season.  Dr. Han immediately jumped in and told me #1 over everything was to WASH YOUR HANDS, seems obvious right? But it’s not.  People tend to wash their hands after using the restroom but seem to forget other times.  Oh yeah and don’t just wash for 5 or 6 seconds, that’s not long enough.  In our house I sing the ABC’s with Jossie to help her know how long to “make bubbles”.  He also went over some other things like the Influenza vaccination, multivitamins, hand sanitizer, eating a healthier diet, and of course exercise.

I asked Dr. Han what kind of calls he gets.  He mentioned they can be anywhere from minor medical issues, to issues that will help keeping parents from going to the ER with their kiddos at night, to behavioral issues.   He and other Doctors may help people with issues like Bronchitis, UTI, Cold, Respiratory and Sinus infections, headaches, fever, sprains.  The list goes on and on and all from the comfort of your home!  All you need is a computer, iPhone, or iPad.

The Doctors with Convenient Care Now are board certified with an average of 15 years experience and my favorite, are available 24/7. I am very thrilled with this affordable service, yes I said affordable.  Don’t let that important piece of advice pass you by! Affordable, Accessible, and Convenient.  Talk about win win!

I forgot to mention Dr. Han was super nice. He immediately set me at ease with how he talked to me.  Thanks Dr. Han!

On a final note if you are in the NJ area and have an issue, resist the urge to pop into your favorite mom group and call or video with a professional.  I know I will!  And remember, you can try out Convenient Care Now with your first visit FREE. Enter the code CARENOW15 at checkout.