The online medical industry has witnessed significant growth and new developments since COVID-19 started. However, it has also continued growing, driven by the increasing demand for convenient and accessible health care services.

Major companies in this space have been leveraging technology to revolutionize the way people receive medical care, offering a wide range of services that cater to various health care needs. Is this good or bad? That is your decision.

There are many websites out there to choose from, which I did several weeks ago. I scoped out many of the different ones for a sinus infection that was starting. This is about the only thing that gets me, so I am familiar with them and the fixes. Forbes.com posted a study and chose these for the best “online medical” sites in 2024, along with what they were best at, as follows. Variety of Care: HealthTap.com, Insurance Coverage: Teladoc.com, Fertility and Pregnancy: MavenClinic.com, Sexual Health: PlushCare.com, Doctor Choice: SesameCare.com, and Most Budget-Friendly: GoodRx.com/care.

I selected one that a friend told me about, which is also in the preceding list. I will not say which one since it is the only one that I know anything about and would prefer you to make your own decisions. However, the one I selected would take my regular health insurance, so that worked for me.

I signed up online and filled out all the required information they requested. This took a good 45 minutes or so. Since you have to have all of your insurance cards handy to type in the info, be ready. You need to input all of your medical history, and answer some other silly questions for government purposes.

After that was completed, I could set up my own visit. I was given a choice of talking to them on the phone or a virtual face-to-face visit with their phone app. I selected the virtual visit in case the doctor needed to look down my throat or something. I then selected whether I wanted to set a date/time or ASAP for the appointment.

Within about 20 minutes the doctor met me on the app, asked probing questions, and sent two prescriptions to my local pharmacy. Easy, and no, she did not look down my throat. By the way, they told me that the doctor who contacts you is legally required to be licensed in your state.

What are some of the reasons that someone would decide to do this? Well, one of mine was convenience, as it was nice to have a doctor’s “home visit” like they used to do when I was a kid in the olden days. It eliminates the need for travel, sitting around other sick people in an office, and waiting times associated with traditional in-person visits.

Online medical services can provide timely access to health care professionals, reducing the need for lengthy wait times for appointments or emergency room visits for non-urgent conditions. Many online medical services are more cost effective than traditional in-person visits, as they often have lower overhead costs and can offer more affordable pricing options. Most of them will accept your insurance coverage, so it costs you no more than what you would pay locally.

A couple of other reasons people may use online medical services is, they may prefer the privacy and discretion offered by online medical services, particularly for sensitive or personal health concerns. Most of them cover chronic conditions like diabetes. The person I talked to offered to send me glucose test strips and a meter — all for free. They provide care for other types of chronic issues.

It is also accessible 365/24/7, so if you get up sick at 2 a.m. on Christmas Day, you have immediate health access without having to travel from home.

Will I use it again? Maybe. Will I use it instead of my local physician? Occasionally. Would I contact them if I broke my arm or had a heart attack? Of course not. They can treat only conditions that they do not need to have physical contact with.

As the online medical industry continues to grow, we will likely see more advances in technology, service, and integration with traditional health care systems. The convenience, accessibility, and possible cost-savings of online medical services are driving factors that will likely contribute to their continued growth in the coming months and years.