Virtual Visit Options

Bryan Beaumont, DO, family medicine physician, explains what virtual care is and the types of care you can receive in a Froedtert & MCW virtual visit appointment. Dr. Beaumont also explains the difference between on-demand and scheduled virtual visits — both available via the Froedtert & MCW app.

In today's day and age, your doctor's appointment might take place from the comfort of your own home. Many doctors offer virtual care options which means you can get the care you need without going to the clinic.

What is a virtual visit?

A virtual visit is a live, interactive video chat with your doctor that takes place over an electronic device such as a phone, tablet or computer. You need to have both a camera and a microphone. These can be done within your home. This is for both new and established patients, and it's a great way to have a very convenient and secure opportunity to talk to your health professional.

Which types of appointments can be done with a virtual visit?

Anything that doesn't require a hands-on physical can be appropriate for a virtual appointment. If you have any questions, reach out to your care team, but normally what we're seeing is chronic care management, medication refills and seasonal allergies. Test follow-up is a great example, too. If you're having issues with transportation, child care or any sort of work restrictions and need to be seen, please reach out for a virtual visit.

Are there different types of virtual visits available?

Within the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network, we have two main types.

  1. One is the on-demand video visit that's kind of your same-day, within-the-hour appointment. Common conditions seen there would be allergies or maybe a rash or sore throat.
  2. We also have scheduled video visit appointments with both your primary care teams and your specialty care teams.

What's important here is that this is tied to your MyChart account, and that allows us to have the most up-to-date information on your medicines and health history. And what's great about this app is that you can launch both on-demand and scheduled visits through this. And this app can be easily found on either the Apple or Google App Stores.