Virtual Doctor Consultation: Acute Vs. Comprehensive

Is the cost of your doctor appointments always a surprise? To a great degree, patients can feel like the pricing on their medical visits is kept secret until after the appointment—when the bill arrives at their doorstep. Luckily, there’s a way out of the mystery of medical consultation costs.

In this article, we break down different types of healthcare consultations and provide the cost of a typical My Virtual Physician appointment.

Pricing Transparency

Many patients are taking back control of medical billing and saving on medical expenses along the way—through online virtual doctor appointments.

Online virtual doctors often provide more transparent pricing structures than traditional brick-and-mortar healthcare facilities. Instead of depending on insurance alone, telemedicine providers like My Virtual Physician take a different approach. They tend to structure the pricing based on actual time spent with each patient, with lower overhead, meaning less cost for each patient.

With virtual doctors, patients can see the cost of the visit before committing to an online appointment. But not all telemedicine appointments are created equally—some visits are very quick and simple, while others are more complicated.

In order to calculate your out-of-pocket costs for an online consultation at My Virtual Physician, you’ll need to determine the type of visit you need.

Types of Virtual Doctor Visits

There are a few types of consultations that My Virtual Physician offers in their virtual doctor services for the majority of patients. Each type covers different complexities of the physician’s involvement in your care, diagnostics, and treatment plan.

The main appointment types include:

1. Acute Visits
2. Comprehensive Visits
3. Specialized Visits

Acute Visits - $49.99

An acute virtual doctor visit covers up to 15 minutes of consultation with your online doctor, and the purpose is to address a single health concern. Typically, these concerns appear suddenly and are not part of ongoing long-term health problems.

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Examples of medical conditions or needs that qualify for acute visits include:

• Allergies
• Earaches
• Flu
• Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
• Sinus Infections
• Cough
• Injuries
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
• Yeast Infection
• Skin Rashes
• Constipation
• Contraception
• Vaginitis

Comprehensive Visits - $99.99

Comprehensive visits cover more time-intensive appointments and those with complex health factors, such as long-term management of chronic conditions or diseases, or addressing multiple health concerns.

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These virtual doctor services can include:

1. Management of chronic conditions
2. Communication of normal lab results*
3. Duration of up to 30 minutes of consultation

Chronic conditions are illnesses that have been ongoing or are anticipated to require long-term management (more than six months). Examples of chronic conditions include:

• Crohn’s Disease
• Arthritis or Chronic Pain
• High Blood Pressure
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Irregular or Painful Periods
• Abnormal Lab Results (requires a second visit)
• Acne
• Menopausal Symptoms
• Infertility

Annual exams and STD screenings are also categorized as comprehensive virtual doctor consultations because, on many occasions, lab work** is ordered—that requires the doctor to dedicate additional time to interpret and communicate the results.

All surgical-related appointments—whether post-surgical or initial surgical consultations—are deemed as a comprehensive visit type My Virtual Physician due to the seriousness and complexities of surgery.

Specialized Visits - $115.00

My Virtual Physician began offering a third appointment type in 2023 for patients who want to get a medical marijuana card in their state. This consultation service includes a telemedicine appointment with one of our doctors, completion of a state-specific physician’s certification form, and electronic submission where applicable.

How Much Does a Virtual Doctor Appointment Cost?

A virtual doctor appointment from My Virtual Physician can cost as little as $49.99 for acute visits, even for uninsured or self-pay patients. If you have insurance, your cost may be even less. And more complicated visits that require ongoing management, labs, and prescriptions, will naturally cost more.

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Here’s a recap of the online visit types and costs available at My Virtual Physician:

1. Acute Visit - $49.99
2. Comprehensive Visit - $99.99
3. Specialty Consultation - $115.00

Are Labs and Medications Included?

No. The rates shown above cover the costs of the telemedicine visit only. Any lab work or prescriptions ordered during your appointment are not included in the appointment price since those services are fulfilled by a third party of the patient’s choosing.

*Communication of normal lab results is included in My Virtual Physician’s comprehensive visit fee. However, if you have any abnormal findings, a second comprehensive visit will be required in order to discuss the results and provide a treatment plan.

**Lab work is not included in the appointment consultation fee and is determined between the lab facility and the patient. Medications are also not included and are determined at the pharmacy of the patient’s choosing. Read more about your pharmacy options in our Guide to Self-Pay Prescriptions.