Lee Health offers e-visits for lower holiday wait times

It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays, which spells the beginning of busy season at the doctor’s office. It often adds up to long wait times, making convenient care less convenient. Lee Health’s answer is the option of an e-visit.

“E-visits is that new platform that allows the patient to go in whether it’s 2 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon, and start that process, that self-triaging, and say answer a bunch of questions: what the symptoms are, what they’re feeling, and then receive, kind of a guidance,” said Jonathan Witenko, system director of virtual health and telemedicine at Lee Health.

Witenko oversees virtual health and telemedicine. The e-visit is different from telehealth. It’s based on answering a series of online questions that helps a doctor pinpoint your problem.

“Based on how you’ve answered, they come in, they’ll message back and receive prescription, receive a referral or that next journey in their care,” said Witenko.

E-visits aren’t meant for emergencies. Because they’re not face-to-face, there’s a brief wait to get next steps. This option is best suited for common conditions like rashes, ear infections, colds and other minor issues or injuries.

Lee Health calls this part of a tiered approach, a step down from in-person and virtual visits.

“It can encompass somebody filling out a survey and answering some questions based on symptoms and a doctor rendering or an opinion based on that without ever touching or seeing a patient,” said Zsolt Kulcsar, assistant medical director of virtual health at Lee Health.

It’s a digital option at your fingertips, getting the help you need without leaving home.