As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year, Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is reminding people it’s safe to go to the doctor and encouraging you to not delay care. In addition to traditional physician visits, urgent care and emergency care, patients can now receive care from trusted physicians on your cell phone or tablet.
“We are still seeing patients delay their care, and that’s causing unnecessary complications,” said Mohak Davé, medical director of Emergency Services at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC). “Regardless of how many COVID-19 patients are in the hospital, the Emergency Department is the best place to be if you’re experiencing anything that you think might be life-threatening. The worst thing you can do is stay home and hope it goes away.”
Even if you don’t need emergency care, there’s no need to put off routine check-ups or care for minor illnesses. To help patients get care no matter where they are, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) continues to offer three ways of digitally connecting with a care provider:
- Video Visits – During a video visit, patients connect directly with one of NGPG’s providers for diagnosis and treatment through a phone or computer – saving a trip to a clinic. Video visits are available for most specialties including primary care, internal medicine, pediatrics and more.
- After-Hours Care (Telemed) – With Telemed, you can get quick answers to healthcare questions by phone at no charge! Established patients with non-emergent issues after hours or on the weekend can call their provider’s regular office number, hold until the Telemed service answers, and simply provide their name, birth date and reason for calling. An on-call provider will return their call within an hour.
- E-Visits – For some basic healthcare issues, like cough, sinus pain and more, patients can simply fill out a form on a computer or smartphone at any time of day or night. The answers are sent to an on-call provider who reviews them, provides a diagnosis, asks follow-up questions if needed and may send a prescription order to your preferred pharmacy. There is a standard $40 fee for each E-Visit, and submissions are reviewed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
“Some patients are still uncomfortable entering a healthcare facility,” said Sakib Maya, MD, medical director for Urgent Care services for NGPG. “The good news is, we now have a variety of ways for everyone to get the care they need from wherever they are.”
For more information about these services and to schedule an appointment, visit ngpg.org/care.
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ABOUT NORTHEAST GEORGIA HEALTH SYSTEM
Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) is a non-profit on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. Our team cares for more than 1 million people across the region through four hospitals and a variety of outpatient locations. Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has campuses in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder and Dahlonega – with a total of more than 700 beds and more than 1,100 medical staff members representing more than 50 specialties. Learn more at www.nghs.com.