Imagine waking up at 3am on Monday morning with a splitting headache in your left temple. You’re confused and worried, and you can’t think straight through the pain. “Should I call in sick to work? Can I get in with a doctor? How about Urgent Care? Do I need the ER? Can I drive safely?”

Telemedicine can be your best option at this point, helping you decide your next best step and relieving you of unnecessary stress. While this concept isn’t new, finding a trusted telemedicine provider can be confusing. Some things to consider are:

1. Is the provider you see online in the same state as you?
2. Does the provider send your records to your regular doctor?
3. Can the provider refer you to local specialists, pharmacies, and lab facilities?
4. Is the service available for all ages?
5. Can you access care 24/7/365?

For NormanMD, created for anyone living in or passing through Texas, the answer to all the above is yes. It’s a secure HIPAA-compliant telemedicine service with one ultimate advantage – trusted doctors and clinicians from Austin Regional Clinic (ARC). Designed for individual or family subscribers, insurance plans, or businesses, there are a wide range of options that give you, your entire Texas workforce, and even your family members, 24/7 on-demand virtual urgent care.

“Among all of the qualities that I think differentiate NormanMD from our competitors, I’m most proud of the quality of care we deliver. Our doctors are great communicators and creative problem-solvers, who practice high-quality evidence-based medicine.” says Dr. Childers, Family Physician, NormanMD.

Going back to that 3am splitting headache – with NormanMD you know what to do. You log in, and within minutes, you are communicating with a local doctor or clinician that works with the same clinic you’ve known for years – Austin Regional Clinic! Your doctor has a solution for you and assures you that you don’t need to go to the emergency room. Getting a doctor’s note for work is no problem either. Not only is the visit included in your subscription plan, or for some of you, your benefit plan, but you also saved money, time, and energy, by avoiding the drive and wait in an emergency room. Most importantly, you dodged the stress of Googling your symptoms in fear of what else this could be.

Regardless of whether you are a patient of ARC, NormanMD provides coordinated care. You can save a trip to the doctor’s office and speak to a doctor or advanced practice clinician (APC) immediately through secure chat, video, or voice call. Depending on your concern, your clinician will diagnose, advise, and treat you for virtually any urgent care need. Treatment options can be recommendations for over-the-counter medications, a referral to a specialist, prescription for antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals, and even orders for lab tests. All your visit notes are sent directly to your primary care doctor or specialist, keeping them informed, and making it easier to get follow-up care.

Subscription based model

The subscription plan options offered by NormanMD meet most budgets. Businesses that add it as an employee benefit experience a boost in employee satisfaction, increased productivity and attendance, and a reduction in total healthcare costs. Austin Regional Clinic has offered the benefit to its employees since 2016, and it is used annually by 80% of physicians, advanced practice clinicians (APCs), and staff. Many ARC doctors depend on it for themselves and even their families! It’s a good option for caregivers or parents who simply want guidance on what to do next or need a second opinion.

Dr. Norman Chenven, ARC Founding CEO and NormanMD namesake, recounts a story from his friend. “Before NormanMD was available, my friend shared something interesting with me. He was on vacation in Padre Island, and it was the middle of the night at their hotel. His son woke him up to say he had an earache. He ended up calling an ambulance, which resulted in an expensive emergency room visit. If he was able to call a doctor and get help for the earache, he probably could have prevented that heavy bill.”

Overall, NormanMD complements Texas primary care practices and enhances the patient experience. “Sometimes that one little 5-minute visit will prevent a $3000 ER visit, which can have a huge multiplier effect on disproportionate healthcare costs," says Dr. Childers. For employers offering NormanMD as a benefit, the time saved from employees taking unnecessary time off for in-office doctor’s appointments can yield a significant return on investment (ROI) in cost and productivity.

Interested in learning more? Visit a link below to get started.

• Individuals and families: https://www.normanmd.com/sign-up
• Businesses: www.normanmd.com/texas-based-businesses
• Healthcare plans: www.normanmd.com/healthcare-plans