Zoom Video Visits

You may have concerns about visiting a medical facility while COVID-19 is still in our communities. We have precautions in place to help keep you safe when you need to visit us in person. Now, you can also get the care you need without leaving home, with video visits.

Just like an in-person visit, a video visit is a scheduled appointment with a provider – using secure video conferencing technology. Many symptoms and conditions can be cared for via video visits, including most follow up care for ongoing conditions, and care for new symptoms.

What is needed to participate in a video visit?

A smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer. If you use a desktop computer, it must have a camera and microphone.
Access to the Zoom app. Video visits are done using Zoom. You will need to download Zoom to begin the visit.
A quiet, private location.
The link that was texted or emailed when the visit was scheduled.

How I access the video visit?

1. After you click the link that was texted or emailed, you will be taken to a landing page where you can start your Zoom visit.

Follow the instructions on the Zoom launch page. You may need to "launch meeting" or "download and run Zoom".

2. Test your audio connection

You can do a test call at http://zoom.us/test to make sure your audio connection is working.

If you need help, please review Zoom's help site for testing audio.

3. Test your video connection

You can do a test call at http://zoom.us/test to make sure your video connection is working.

If you need help, please review Zoom's help site for testing video.

4. At your scheduled appointment time, your doctor will appear on screen and the visit will begin

If you arrive early, please wait for your doctor to start the visit.

If you experience technical difficulties during your visit, your doctor's office will contact you for assistance.

What can I expect during a video visit?

The doctor will listen to the patient’s symptoms, explain the diagnosis and develop a treatment plan, including prescribing medication as needed. Sometimes, the doctor may also ask the patient to come in for an additional in person visit in order to examine them more closely. But most of the time, the video visit is all that is needed.

Can providers treat patients in the same way during a video visit as when they are seen in person?

For the most part, yes! All care team members can access and update medical records and provide care within the scope of their practice. Physicians and nurse practitioners can electronically order prescriptions and write orders based on the patient’s needs.

However, there are known limitations to not having in-person care. These limitations may include, for example, equipment failure, deficiencies in transmission of information (i.e. poor resolution of transmitted images) that can impede a correct diagnosis or treatment, or an incorrect diagnosis or treatment due to the inability of the physician or care team member to touch the patient (i.e. palpate, etc.).

By participating, the patient, or patient’s guardian, acknowledges the known limitations of receiving health care services by means of video visits and voluntarily accepts those limitations.

Are video visits private?

Yes, video visits are private and confidential, and will not be recorded or saved. We use technology which by law, must include methods to protect the privacy and security of your health information. It is important that the patient uses secure wireless networks and limits others within earshot or eyesight in their location to those allowed to participate in their care.

Where should a video visit be done?

It’s important that the video visit is private and that the doctor can see and hear the patient clearly. To help ensure this, please do the following:

Set up in an indoor location that is private. A quiet room with a door that closes is ideal. This way, the conversation between the patient and doctor is private.
Make sure that the area the patient is in has good lighting from either a window or a lamp (or both!). The light should be directly on the patient’s face. For example, if the patient is using a window, please sit in front of the window facing it directly. This allows the doctor to see the patient better, which helps in the examination and diagnosis.

How do I reschedule or cancel a video visit?

Please call the doctor’s office to make changes to the scheduled appointment.

Can I reuse a link from a previous visit?

No, video visit links are unique to each appointment and will expire after the visit.

Need more help?

Please call the doctor’s office and staff will help!

Zoom Video Visits