Talk to Our Doctor Online

Options for Online Care from Parker at Your Door

We would like to share with you some of the resources available through Parker at Your Door. The health and safety of our patients, their families, and our staff are always our top priorities. To keep seniors safe at home, Parker at Your Door now offers online, video, and telephone-based virtual visits with a nurse practitioner or a geriatrician.

Telehealth is a great alternative to in-person doctor visits. Virtual appointments have many benefits – they can be done from the comfort and privacy of home, they are convenient, they can increase your access to care when an in-person visit is not possible, and they reduce exposure to viruses like COVID-19, flu and other infectious diseases, as well as reduce emergency room visits. This is available for people who are not feeling well and have non-life-threatening symptoms such as fever, cough, upset stomach, or nausea.

What is a Telehealth Visit?

A telehealth appointment is a regular visit done over a video call. When you check in for your appointment, you will connect with your doctor over a secure connection to discuss your health concerns. Your provider can then make suggestions and even prescribe medication over the call.

Requirements

Patients will need a two-way visual and voice connection that allows real-time interaction. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones are acceptable. For seniors who don't navigate technology, relatives or friends can assist.
Our doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed professionals will be able to offer telehealth during our regular business hours, Monday - Friday.
If you don’t have a tablet, you may be eligible for a free tablet through a special grant program.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Telehealth Appointment?

Here are our tips for getting the most out of your telehealth visit:

Work with our coordinator to figure out which appointment type is best for you. When you call to make your appointment, our staff will work with you to decide which kind of appointment will best fit your needs, whether it is a video or an in-person visit. Our team will make a recommendation based on the reason for your visit. If you have any questions about what to expect from your appointment or how you can prepare, you can ask them when you call to make your appointment.

You will need a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer for a telehealth visit and a steady connection to the internet to stream video. Make sure your device/computer is equipped to take the call. Your telehealth appointment will take place over the web; we recommend you access our patient portal by installing the Healow app before your appointment, allow this is not required. The patient portal is an important communication tool for all visits and many other aspects of your health care, including test results, appointment reminders, messages, and more. You will also want to make sure you have a strong enough internet connection, so your visit will not be disrupted. If you need help with technology don’t worry – Parker at Your Door will work to provide technical support and will explain how to virtually join your appointment.

Parker at Your Door patients can register for the Healow patient portal. When you’re enrolled in Healow, you have access to a virtual check-in process that you can complete before your appointment. Our practice code for NYC-Metro Physicians Services (Parker at Your Door) is JJCFBD.

Treat your visit like an in-person visit. When you see your provider in person, the nurse gathers your vital signs in advance. For a telehealth visit, we recommend you weigh yourself beforehand, take your temperature and check your blood pressure.

Be ready a few minutes before your appointment time. Someone from the office may call early to ask questions and check you in beforehand. Log on to the app and wait for your meeting to start. If you are waiting longer than 15 or 20 minutes, call the office to make sure there has not been a technical or scheduling glitch.

Choose a private, quiet room for your appointment, and make sure you have everything you need. Make sure you take your appointment in a place that is quiet and private. Make sure the web camera is at eye level so your provider can see your face clearly. Make sure your location is bright enough for your health care provider to observe your physical symptoms as necessary. Wear something that is easy to move in case your provider asks you to show part of your skin or another area of your body. This is especially important if your provider asks to take a look at a part of your body – for example, if you have a rash on your arm. Your provider will also be taking your call from a private room, so all of your information will be safe. Be sure to have all your current medication with you, as your provider may ask to see what you are taking.

Be prepared to provide your doctor with the information they may need to give you a diagnosis. Since your provider will not be in the room with you to give you an exam, they may ask to take a look at things over video/photo or request that you do certain movements or tests on your own that may help them diagnose your issue. Your provider may also ask to take a look at something over video. For example, if you have a rash on your arm, you may need to manipulate your device or take a photo so that they may diagnose your issue.

Write down your questions. It may seem strange at first, but the goal of telehealth is to make your virtual visit feel like an in-person visit as much as possible. Just like an in-person visit, you will want to write down important information to make the best use of your time with the provider. Write down any symptoms, questions, or concerns you want to discuss during the appointment so you do not forget them. Keep paper nearby to take notes about what your doctor says during the e-visit. Ask all the questions you need. Make sure you feel comfortable with the answers you get. If the provider tells you something you do not understand, ask them to further explain to be sure you understand the next steps.

Check your email for instructions. Be sure to review any emails, texts, or other communication from our office. The office will send you details about your upcoming appointment and how to log on and how to use our technology.

Checklist:

List of your symptoms, questions and concerns
Medication list, including any over-the-counter medications, vitamins and herbal remedies you use
Names of other doctors you see
Your insurance card
A credit card, if you will have a copay due

What to Expect After Your Appointment?

Call the office or email your provider through a patient portal. If you forgot to ask a question, think of something later, or need help understanding your care. Your provider will be happy to get you the information you need. Your provider may want to refer you to another physician, order lab work or imaging, or order prescriptions from your pharmacy. Updates on these orders will be available on our patient portal or via email.

Give feedback and suggestions. If there was something you did not like about your appointment, your provider’s care, or our telehealth program, make sure to let us know. Feedback is the best way to let us know how we can best serve you.

Paying for your telehealth visit. Paying for your telehealth appointment varies depending on your insurance status and insurance coverage. Telehealth insurance varies. Medicare covers the cost of virtual visits for appointments. Many private insurance companies cover telehealth appointments with the same benefits as in-person visits. Check with your insurance company to find out whether you are covered for a virtual visit.

Troubleshooting Telehealth Technology

Here are common troubleshooting tips you can use if you are having trouble logging in to your telehealth appointment or if you have technology issues during the appointment itself.

Restart your computer or device.
Make sure the device is plugged in and charged.
Check that the internet connection is working and is strong enough to work with the telehealth platform.
Close all other applications.
Update your internet browser (if the telehealth platform is web-based).
Try connecting with a different device.
Check your email or call our office to reach someone who can provide help.

Parker at Your Door Telehealth Kit

To get the most out of your visit, you may want to purchase Parker at Your Door’s Exam Kit to perform exams and collect vitals, just like an in-person visit.

What is in the Care Kit?

Cardio-Kit

Pulse Oximeter to measure your heartrate and oxygen levels.

Digital Oral Thermometer to make it easy to take your temperature.

Blood Pressure Monitor used to Measure pulse, irregular heartbeat, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure.

Mobile EKG to quickly and effectively measure the rhythm and strength of your heart.

Cost: $154.99

Diabetic-Kit

Pulse Oximeter to measure your heartrate and oxygen levels.

Digital Oral Thermometer to make it easy to take your temperature.

Blood Pressure Monitor used to monitor your blood pressure.

Mobile EKG to quickly and effectively measure the rhythm and strength of your heart.

iHealth Align Gluco Monitoring Bundle lets you test blood glucose levels in seconds, directly on your smartphone. Includes: 1 iHealth Align Gluco-monitor, 1 Lancet Pack (50 ct total), and 1 Test Strip Pack (50 ct total)

Cost: $189.99

Note: In-home assistance with technology or programs you may need to participate is available upon request.

Looking for a Virtual Care Visit?

If you have been putting off seeing your provider, now is a good time to call for an appointment. Whether you do it in person or virtually, keeping up with your health care can help you maintain your health.

We accept both new and current patients for telehealth appointment.

You can give us a call anytime between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday at 718-289-2606, or schedule your appointment online using the link below.

When you call to make your appointment, let our coordinator know if you would like to meet with your provider in-person or virtually.

Meet Our Director of Telehealth

Elisa Valencia-Sanchez, MD, is currently the Medical Director for Telehealth at Parker at Your Door. Previously she worked at the Veterans Affairs where she had various roles until she retire. She received her medical degree from the University of Guayaquil- Ecuador and completed her residency training in Family Practice at Saint Mary's Hospital in Hoboken New Jersey, followed by a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at the Parker Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, board-certified in Family Practice and Geriatric Medicine, as well as a Certified Medical Director for Long Term Care.

She has been in practice for over 25 years. Previous roles include academic appointments at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Columbia Presbyterian, and Stony Brook, Long Island.

In addition to her clinical practice, she has been the Community Living Center, Medical Director, Medical Director of the Home Base Primary Care Program, Telemedicine, and the Hospice Palliative Care program as well as the Director of the Geriatrics Fellowship program at the Northport Veterans Affairs.

She directly supervised that the Community Living Center (CLC) functions properly in the various professional levels of performance, maintaining a high degree of clinical excellence appropriate to the needs of the veterans.

Aware that the need of our Veterans and their families continue to change, and the future Veteran population will live longer and require a more diversified, more effective, and more cost-efficient system of health care, She developed a geriatric interdisciplinary clinic team with the collaboration of the Rehabilitation, Social worker, Pharmacy disciplines, to address those needs and improve the quality of care. Also, provide support in the development and implementation of programs such as the Age-Friendly Health System process or 4Ms.

A conscious clinician striving to maximize the physical mental and social functioning of Veterans by assessing their needs and coordinating the delivery of quality health care services, she always maintains excellent relationships with her patients and their families in complete adherence and compliance with clinical practice guidelines.

Ready to schedule your telehealth appointment?

Schedule Your Appointment On-Line

*Services offered in English and Spanish.

Parker at Your Door is another community service of Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehabilitation

https://parkerinstitute.org/