Summer vacation season is upon us, and we know many of our members are planning their summer getaways. Maybe you’re looking forward to fun in the sun in Florida or the beaches of North Carolina. What do you do if you get a bad sunburn or reaction to bug bites? Save yourself a trip to the ER and schedule a video appointment at $0 cost share with our urgent care team, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.* You can now schedule your own video appointments with your PCP or urgent care easily and quickly on kp.org or the KP Mobile App on the App Store or Google Play. Video appointments are available for the following conditions:
- Cough, cold, sinus, flu
- Skin infection or rash
- Pink eye
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea with no associated abdominal pain
- Vaginal discharge
- Urinary issues
- Sleep problems
- Medication refill
- Anything for which you were seen within the last 2 weeks, and the condition has not improved
We recommend checking out your own PCP’s schedule so you can see a familiar face. But when time is of the essence, or it is after hours, try a video visit with urgent care. Video appointments at Kaiser Permanente are unlike any other on the market. It is an extension of our integration, not a one-off. Whether it is your PCP, or a doctor in urgent care, they can see your records, order prescriptions, and schedule additional tests and/or follow-up appointments, all from one convenient video chat.
Because video appointment booking is done through kp.org, members must be active on the patient portal to take advantage of this convenient new feature that provides a smooth and intuitive experience for both members and providers. Direct booking serves as an easier and useful way to manage members’ health whether they’re at home or in the office within the DC/MD/VA area. Since the direct booking feature launched last week, more than 50 members have booked video visits online, and we’ve received resoundingly positive feedback. Coming this fall, behavioral health video appointments will also be available to directly book online or via mobile device.
*Video appointments with urgent care are available only when a member is physically present in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Video appointments with a PCP are available only when member is physically present in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC.
