Answering Your Medical Questions just got easier with Amwell

One of the things I love about my job (most days I do love my job) is finding out about new products, technology and services and then sharing them with you! I have to say that the following service I am writing about today is pure genius. Amwell is the first ever digital health practice that gives us access to board certified doctors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Plus it is super easy to access from your phone, tablet or computer. You are only 3 steps away from talking to a live human being about any health – mental or physical issues you are concerned about – all from the comfort of your own home.

About half of all medical conditions can be discussed and treated over the phone with a doctor according to AmWell informational video. Imagine having the ability to speak to a doctor about cold or flu symptoms, diet concerns, sinus infection, vomiting or bronchitis for yourself or family member immediately without the hassle of setting up an appointment or driving to the doctor’s office. As a mom, you know how tough it can be to schedule time to see the doctor and if you are like me (if it concerns my health), tend to put it off. But with this awesome service, you don’t have the hassle of waiting days or even weeks to get in to see your doctor and it can be done online from any device of your choosing.

It was so easy to set up. I just downloaded their app – Amwell – on my iPad mini and signed up. Once you sign in you are offered Medical, Diet & Nutrition or Psychology Services. I wanted to speak to a medical doctor about my recent weight gain after taking steroids and pain medication from my herniated disc injury back in January. For anyone who has taken steroids, you know the havoc they do on your body! I was curious to see what medical tests they would recommend I ask for from my local doctor. For only $49 (we have a coupon code for you to try it out for free!) I immediately had access to several doctors who were available at 8 o’clock at night – how convenient! You can learn about their background, how long they have been practicing, what is their specialty, and where they graduated from medical school.

I chose to speak to Dr. Linda Elizabeth Sasha Stiles because she specializes in the treatment of overweight and obesity and all the medical and behavioral issues that surround it and has been practicing for over 34 years. You fill out some questions prior to speaking to a doctor to help the doctor access your medical history – it doesn’t take too long, you just need to fill out any medications you are taking and your symptoms. Be sure to leave a contact number so they can call you in case you get kicked out of the app.

Dr. Linda Stiles asked me some really great questions and we talked about how stress can play a number on your immune system. We talked about some making some achievable and measurable goals for myself and I loved her suggestion of keeping a food diary of a “good” day and a not so great day to see if there might be some emotional/stress eating going on that I am not aware of. This could definitely be part of the problem as you know how it is when your mind is on other things and you aren’t thinking about what you are putting in your mouth! The whole time we spoke, she was taking notes and making suggestions on what blood work to ask my doctor for such as a TSH, Free T-3 and Free T-4 (thyroid tests), Hemoglobin a1c which would tell us if I am pre-diabetic or officially moved into a diabetic state (which could be since the weight is gathering around my middle – anyone relate to this?!). And I have access to these notes and can bring them to my next doctor’s appointment.

All in all, I found the call and consultation really helpful and calming. She was very sweet and told me not to be too hard on myself since it will take time to get the weight off and find out if I have any thyroid or insulin issues. I can’t say enough about this wonderful service American Well is offering busy parents! Their copayments (before Insurance) is reasonable and I am happy to pay a few extra dollars for the convenience of doing it from home.

Your doctor visits usually run 10-15 minutes (though my consultation ran about 25 minutes) and a session with a dietician 30 minutes and 45 minutes with a therapist. All the doctors are board certified with an average of 15 years in practice.

Reasons to Use Amwell: Created by doctors, Amwell is:

The most popular consumer telehealth app worldwide in 2014 according to App Annie.
The first telehealth service awarded accreditation by The American Telemedicine Association.
The first telehealth platform to integrate with Apple’s Health App.
The only service that allows you to select the doctor you want to see for an on-demand visit.

I plan to get my blood work and then give Dr. Linda Stiles a call back so we can talk about what might have come up and solutions to getting back on track. Be sure to try it out for FREE (savings up to $49) using the Coupon code: MOMSLOVEAMWELL. Let me know how it works out for you!