Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Make an Appointment with a Doctor Online on Teladoc

Feeling a bit under the weather during this pandemic? Worried of exposing yourself to the virus when going to the doctor’s office? During this time of crisis and uncertainty, many major health insurance providers are taking action to fight the COVID-19 epidemic by providing online consultation services to their members. With modern technology, the latest advancements in healthcare now allows you to consult with a doctor virtually! Many insurance companies are waiving the fees to consult with a doctor online including co-pays that are originally required to see a doctor.

Individual Health Insurance Online Consultation Services

Company Health Insurance Online Consultation Services

As shown above, Aetna, Blue Shield and Health Net use Teladoc as their telehealth service provider, while Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser Permanente use their own virtual healthcare system.

Making an appointment online is pretty simple! Members would just need to create an account on their health insurance provider’s site and make an appointment online. The site can be found on your insurance card.

For your reference, we’ve broken down the steps on how to make an appointment online using Health Net’s Teladoc service as an example. Follow along below to learn more!

Step by Step Tutorial:
How to Make an Appointment to See a Doctor Online

1. Go to https://member.teladoc.com/hn (opens in new tab) and fill out the information on the bottom right to create your account.

2. Fill out all required information.

3. Choose “Look me up using my health or insurance provider.”

4. Select your health or insurance provider and enter your member ID.

5. Fill out all the required information. Some information might automatically show up based on previous records in the system so make sure to double check and verify that all the information is correct.

6. Select “Request a visit” to start making your appointment.

7. Fill out and update your medical history if you haven’t done so yet.

If you have relevant medical records that would affect this visit such as chronic disease, surgery, drug allergy, etc., make sure to include those details when filling out the form.

8. On this page, you can choose to have your consultation via phone or video.

At this time, typically all insurance companies offer phone consultations at no cost. Video consultation fees may vary based on your plan and visit details.

This is also where you can select the time and date of your appointment. “As soon as possible” will prompt you with the next available consultation time. If you would like to make an appointment for a future time and date, you can fill in your time zone and appointment details. You can make an appointment up to two days in advance.

9. The next page is the billing information. Since Health Net is providing phone consultations at no charge, the “Total Visit Fee” will show $0.

10. Congrats! You’ve successfully booked your appointment. The confirmation page will show you the estimated wait time.

Make sure to disable call blocker so that your device will be able to receive incoming phone and/or video calls.

If you chose to do a phone consultation, you will receive a call at the time of your appointment. If you chose to do a video consultation, you will receive an email explaining how to join the video consultation on your device. When the doctor is ready, the system will prompt you to “Join Video Now.”

Additional Notes

Canceling your appointment: If for some reason you can’t make your appointment or need to cancel your appointment, you can find the “Cancel Visit” button in the green box on the homepage.

Picking up medication: If you need a prescription from the doctor for your medication, the system will give you the option of choosing a pharmacy.

Other health insurance providers: Anthem Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser Permanente use a different system for their online consultation services, but it’s fairly similar to Teladoc. Feel free to contact us if you have any trouble accessing the online services or for any assistance in making an appointment online.

As a friendly reminder, due to the current COVID-19 situation, Covered California has extended the Open Enrollment Period to purchase health insurance for 2020 to June 30. If you have not purchased health insurance, give us a call or chat with us online! Our services are free and we can provide quick and professional health insurance consultations for you. If you are eligible, you might even be able to apply for government subsidies and get better benefits with your health plan!