Lee TeleHealth e-Visits: An Efficient, Affordable Option for Non-Emergency Care

Jan. 31, 2024

As I shared in my column last week and as other local media outlets have reported, Lee Health is seeing more patients in our hospital emergency departments as the annual influx of visitors and seasonal residents return to Southwest Florida.

To help encourage the use of alternate venues of care for non-emergency symptoms and illnesses, I wanted to share more details about Lee TeleHelath e-Visits—our fastest, most convenient option for care for common conditions like colds, urinary tract infections, rashes, ear infections and other non-critical conditions.

The Lee TeleHealth e-Visit is an asynchronous messaging-based telemedicine service whereby patients answer questions about their symptoms in a 10-minute online interview from the privacy of their phone or computer. The patient questions are designed in both English and Spanish.

With e-Visits, patients don’t need an appointment—the online medical interview is available 24/7 and adapts as patients answer questions. If the answer to the questions points to a problem that cannot be treated via e-Visits, patients will not be charged and will receive guidance on where to seek the appropriate care within Lee Health.

If the answer can be addressed via the e-Visit, once it is submitted, and within a timely manner, patients will receive their diagnosis and treatment plan from a trusted Lee Health provider during specific business hours.

While Lee TeleHealth e-Visits require a phone, computer or tablet that can connect to the internet and a MyChart account, insurance is not required as this is a self-pay-only option ($29 per visit).

Lee TeleHealth e-Visits is an efficient, affordable and accessible option for care for non-emergency conditions that doesn’t involve an appointment, a waiting room or even a face-to-face interaction. For more information and to review the various venues for medical, visit www.LeeHealth.org and click on ‘Get Care Now.’