Slippers are my new footwear of choice during the day. The old me would be mortified. 

 I also really love ordering my groceries online now. This from someone who used to be in the supermarket 5, sometimes 6 or even 7, days a week.

And I recently discovered that if I need to see a doctor about an ailment (non-life-threatening of course) such as, say, a sore throat, rash, nausea, an ear ache, a sprain and the like, I can actually do just that from the comfort of my living-room couch or while seated at the kitchen counter with my laptop.

This winter when we’re all leaning into the whole hibernation thing in a big way, so it’s comforting to know that a local — that’s Rhode Island or Massachusetts based — doctor is only a video call away. 

No need to stress and obsess or agonize over the idea of making an in-person trip to the ER during a pandemic. 

 Thanks to the medical team at Brown EM Telecare, it’s as easy as hoping online to make an appointment, completing a questionnaire (they provide care to insured and uninsured individuals btw) and then getting a one-on-one (read: uninterrupted) video consult with one of their Board Certified Emergency Physicians, on call 7 days a week.

Their highly qualified physicians can also confer with your regular doc, prescribe medication, and if need be, direct you to a nearby hospital for treatment.

And as with any dr.’s appointment, it’s completely private, all your info and anything you share is protected under HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).

 Furthermore, it’s not just for Boomers, the Gen. X crowd (my tribe), Millennials, or Gen. Z! What I’m trying to say here is that they have Board Certified Pediatric Emergency Physicians available as well which means it just got easier to get your child in front of a doctor right now if they’re feeling under the weather. 

I had a virtual appointment with Dr. Gary Bubly recently and I was impressed by how seamless the entire experience was. First, it was pretty easy to make the appointment itself. (In other words if I can do it, anyone can! Tbh, my tech knowledge revolves around looking concerned when someone has an issue with their phone or laptop and then asking them if they rebooted the device in question.) Secondly, let’s circle back to having a block of time to interact with a physician without them being called away to follow up on another patient or something. It’s really quite similar to having a call or real life appointment with a conceirge style doctor (the yearly fees to be part of such an arrangement start at around $1500).

 So, definitely give their site a look. I have a feeling once you do, you’ll be bookmarking them and scheduling a video appt. in the not-too-distant future.