Telemedicine

The use of electronic communications to provide medical advice and treatment is known as telemedicine. My office now offers telemedicine visits through the app, PocketPatient.

Using this quick, convenient service can benefit you if you’re busy, out of town, housebound, transportation dependent or unable to wait for a scheduled office visit.

In most cases telemedicine consultations will be covered by insurance the same as an office visit.

Telemedicine doesn’t replace in-office visits, but can be an effective and expedient way for you to consult with our providers on occasion, giving you a faster diagnosis, treatment and assurance.

Requirements for A Telemedicine Visit

1. You must be an established patient of Dr. Paul Revis, and have seen Dr. Revis within the past 3 years. If you are a new patient to our clinic please call 815-227-1055 to schedule an appointment.
2. Your patient portal associated with our electronic medical record must be ACTIVE.
3. PocketPatient Icon
   Download the PocketPatient app, which is available for Android or iOS devices, and install on your smart phone or tablet. Once installed make sure to enable notifications so you are alerted to our communications.
   PocketPatient Icon

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Getting Started

If you are uncertain if your case is appropriate, feel free to contact our office at 815-227-1055 and speak to one of our nurses to confirm a telemedicine visit can address your concern.

You should also contact our office if your patient portal is inactive and one of our staff members will help you activate it.

How it Works

1. Log into the PocketPatient app

2. Request a telemedicine visit and follow the prompts. You will be asked a series of questions and you will be able to take and upload up to two photos.
3. When you have completed your case click the Submit button. If you have not done so already, make sure you’ve enabled notifications on your PocketPatient app so you will be alerted to our communications regarding your case.
4. Dr. Revis, or a member of his staff will respond to your case within 48 hours (not counting weekends).
5. Once you have received our diagnosis, treatment and other recommendations you have 24 hours to reply with additional questions. If our office does not hear back from you in 24 hours your case will be completed and closed.
6. When your case is closed, the credit card you registered on the PocketPatient will be charged $75 for your telemedicine visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I am a new patient and have never seen Dr. Revis can I do a telemedicine visit through PocketPatient

No, you must have seen Dr. Revis at least once in his office within the past 3 years. This way you are registered into our electronic medical record program (EMR) and can activate your patient portal, which is necessary to link the PocketPatient app to our EMR program.

Will my insurance cover a telemedicine visit?

No, most insurance companies, including Medicare do not cover telemedicine visits at this time. When you agree to the terms of service, you are acknowledging that the services provided will not be billed to your medical insurance and that your are responsible for payment of the $75 telemedicine visit cost.

Can a growth I think may be cancer be checked with a telemedicine visit?

If you submit photos of a lesion you are worried may be cancer, we may be able to reassure that the lesion is benign and can be observed. However, if the lesion appears suspicious you will be advised to make an appointment to see one of our providers for a possible biopsy. A tissue biopsy is often the only way we can be sure if a lesion is benign or cancerous. If we determine your lesion to warrant evaluation you will be scheduled to be seen in the clinic within 3 business days.

Can you give me examples of situations that make a telemedicine visit a good option?

Yes. Let’s say you saw Dr. Revis for an acne problem and you were started on both an oral and topical treatment. After 2 months of treatment the oral medication has run out; you’ve continued to use the topical medication, but the acne is worsening again after 3 months without the oral treatment.

You would like to resume the oral medication, but you live in Dekalb, and your schedule at NIU does not allow you to easily come to an office visit. In addition, you have a $60 copay with each in-office visit. This would be an excellent opportunity to use telemedicine. Your oral treatment would likely be resumed for another 2 months after consulting with Dr. Revis or a staff member, and you could schedule an in-office visit at a later date when your schedule allows.

Here’s another example.
Let’s say you saw Dr. Revis 18 months ago and were diagnosed with psoriasis on your scalp, arms, and legs. Topical treatments were very effective and cleared the problem. You did well through the summer, but with the return of winter weather your psoriasis is starting to appear again.

You would like a refill of your previous medications, but your request for a refill was denied when presented to your pharmacy. A telemedicine visit would allow Dr. Revis to have formal and documented communication with you which satisfies the Illinois Sate Medical Act requirements for prescribing of medications and your medication could be refilled without the need of an in-office visit.

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