Whether dealing with the common cold or something more serious, today’s drivers have several options for getting a quick diagnosis, prescription medication and possibly other treatment while on the road.
That’s due to the growth in telemedicine and the number of walk-in clinics at truck stops.
Smartphone technology allows drivers to chat with a doctor in a traditional phone call or through an app or video call. This can be particularly useful when it isn’t possible to find a truck stop clinic or a community clinic with truck parking, or when an otherwise available clinic is closed for the evening or weekend.
Some services say they connect the client within minutes to a doctor or other health care professional and often can place prescriptions at a pharmacy of the driver’s choice after a patient-provider relationship is established. Each state defines what determines that relationship, but the definition usually is satisfied once a doctor performs an exam, according to the National Telehealth Policy Resource Center. In some states, you may be required to have a video chat with the doctor or send photos if symptoms are visible.
One telemedicine service that can prescribe medicine based on a conversation is Dr. John’s Medical Solutions, administered through Salus Telehealth’s VideoMedicine app. Dr. John’s offers truckers a telehealth program that provides instant access to a physician in the state where the trucker is driving. The service costs $96 per year for a subscription, which includes the driver’s family.
“If a driver is out on the road and his wife is at home on a Sunday night, and one of the children gets sick and all the clinics are closed, the wife can pull up the app and talk to a doctor over the phone to get a diagnosis and plan for treatment,” says Burke Mays, Dr. John’s president and chief executive officer. “She gets on her phone at no extra cost and gets a face-to-face with a doctor. We have a network of doctors in every state, so if it’s necessary, the doctors can also send a prescription to the nearest pharmacy.”
Members receive 80 percent off prescription costs by presenting a Dr. John’s prescription card. Calls to doctors through the app are $50 each. Mays says the program is particularly cost effective for owner-operators who have only catastrophic insurance because it can reduce costs prior to the driver reaching his high annual deductible.
