Accessibility to quality health care is an important matter for all of us at Lac Vieux Desert Health Center. We understand that time, distance, and limited mobility can be potential barriers for some. To help address this, we are pleased to offer an interactive and easy to use Telehealth appointment option.
With telehealth, patients can use their computer, smartphone, or tablet to receive health care services from a remote location such as the comfort of their own home. The service is HIPAA-compliant which ensures that patient information and communications are strictly private and confidential.
Arranging a Telehealth Appointment
- Please call us at (906) 358-4588 and speak with one of our Patient Services Representatives to schedule an appointment date and time.
- An invitation email will be sent to you the morning of your appointment, or for early morning appointments, it may be sent the day prior. The email will have a link to the telehealth virtual waiting room for your provider as well as a reminder of the time of your appointment. There are also links for assistance with connecting and troubleshooting.
- If you do not find an email by the morning of your appointment, please check your junk/spam folder in case it is located there. If it is still not locatable, please call us back and we can send you another invitation email.
Tips for Improving Your Telehealth Experience
- Have a good Internet connection
A reliable and stable connection is important for ensuring good video and audio quality during the telehealth appointment. Some things you can do to improve your connection include:
- If on WiFi, locate yourself nearby your wireless router so you can receive the best wireless connection possible.
- If your device or other devices on your network are actively using the Internet such as streaming video or gaming, this could create slowdowns and interruptions during your telehealth appointment. Stopping any video streaming or other Internet activities could greatly improve your telehealth video and audio performance.
- Plug-in and power
If you are using a laptop or mobile device, make sure it has enough battery life for the call. For a laptop, it may be of added benefit to have it plugged in during your call as some laptops when unplugged may enter a power-saving mode that can dim the screen and reduce performance.
- Restart your laptop or PC
Sometimes there are unseen programs or services running in the background that can be consuming resources and limiting performance. Consider doing a computer restart before your appointment to free these resources for your telehealth call.
- Check sound and video
Check to make sure the volume is on and at a comfortable level. Also check that your video camera is working.
- Privacy, no distractions and a quiet environment
Finding a comfortable, private and quiet place with as little sound and activity around you would be helpful for both you and your provider. This will also help ensure your healthcare information is confidential and not exposed to others nearby.
- Good lighting
Avoid harsh lighting, especially light sources directly behind you. You should be in adequate light so your camera can provide the best image possible.
- Items at hand
While not always needed or required, it could be helpful to have a thermometer, blood pressure and blood oxygen level reader. Also, if you have any prescriptions, or if you are taking an over-the-counter medicine, being able to name them for your provider would be beneficial.