eVisits: Medical Advice in My Health at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt Health is committed to the many ways we care for our patients. This includes virtual care settings such as telehealth and eVisits.
What is an eVisit?
An eVisit is when you send a message to your provider through My Health at Vanderbilt. You can send messages any time, and we’ll get back to you in one to three business days. It’s an easy way to get medical advice when you don’t really need to see your provider in person or using telehealth.
Most messages you send are free. These may include:
- asking for a refill on your medicine
- asking to set up an appointment
- your provider saying you should come in to see them soon
- an update for your provider that they don’t need to answer
- a message that takes only a few minutes to answer
Beginning June 7, 2023, if we need to answer your message with expert medical advice and care that will take more than five minutes of your provider’s time, it may become an eVisit and we may bill your insurance. These types of messages may include:
- a new medical problem or symptom
- changes to your medicines
- a check-in for a long-term disease
- a flare-up or change in your medical condition
- asking us to fill out a form
Your provider will decide if a message should be billed to your insurance. If so, we’ll handle it for you. Most insurances cover these visits.
You may have a coinsurance or copay cost that’s the same as when you see your provider in person or on a telehealth visit. If you have a deductible, the total amount may be applied.
Why are some My Health at Vanderbilt messages billed to insurance?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, My Health at Vanderbilt messages have been a popular way to get medical advice. This means that messages are taking up more of our providers’ time. Your provider can answer most of these messages quickly and easily. But some messages take a lot more time and expert medical advice. When this happens, it becomes an eVisit. Because most insurance companies see virtual care as an important way for patients to get advice, they cover eVisits.