When one of my friends has a health issue, I often suggest that they call WhiteGlove. The responses I get usually range from “I thought they were just for coughs and colds” to “Do they do that?” My answer is usually “yes!”
Most WhiteGlove members know that they can call for help for a cold or flu and be seen in their home or office by a nurse practitioner within hours of that call. But the scope-of-care offered by WhiteGlove goes way beyond that. It is so broad that I often even have to check the list myself before making the suggestion!
WhiteGlove can see you for dehydration, high blood pressure, back pain, pink eye, migraines, allergies, bronchitis and much more. They can also do screenings including diabetes, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. The list is long, and often surprising. It is also better organized than mine! And that’s just their care for when you aren’t feeling well. WhiteGlove offers well-care services, too. Things like camp and sports physicals, flu shots, vaccinations and all sorts of screenings.
My best suggestion to my friends and family is to always check with WhiteGlove first. You can go onto their website and see a list of services, or you can just call and ask.
And as always with WhiteGlove, you will be seen within hours of your call, at your convenience by a nurse practitioner. In most cases, the nurse practitioner can provide you with any medications you might need. If they don’t have it with them, they’ll make sure they get it to you.
So the next time you’re not feeling well, and think that you might should go see a doctor, take a look at the website at www.whiteglove.com or give them a call at 877-329-8081. You might be pleasantly surprised and save yourself a trip to the doctor.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Friday, May 7, 2010
WhiteGlove House Call Health – A First Hand Account Of The Experience
The Decision
I was sick. It started with a sore throat, and then moved on to chest congestion and had ended up with an unending cough. I was making a trip to Dallas in a few days and kept thinking, “Tomorrow I’ll feel better. It’s just allergies.” Finally, the day before I needed to leave for my trip, I threw in the towel and admitted to myself that I wasn’t getting any better. I knew there was pertussis at my daughter’s school, and so that was a nagging thought in the back of my mind. My other main thought was that I was leaving town tomorrow and I needed to get work done today! I didn’t really have time to do the whole “beg-to-get-in-to-see-a-doctor, wait-in-the-office, run-get-my-prescription-filled” thing.
Because we have Aetna for our insurance, and because we live in a WhiteGlove House Call Health service area, I knew we were automatically members. So I logged onto www.whiteglove.com to schedule a visit. Since I work out of the house, I didn’t have to bother with the decision of whether I should stay home or meet them at work. But it is nice to know WhiteGlove will go to either place.
At 8:30 a.m. I requested an appointment through the online system. At 8:45 a.m. I got a call from Stacy in WhiteGlove’s membership support and set a visit for 11 a.m. Perfect. That gave me time to straighten my house and brush my teeth. (One advantage of having them come to your office is that you don’t feel compelled to clean up for them.) I also managed to get in some work.
After the call, I also got a follow-up email to confirm my visit time. The neurotic, sleep-deprived part of me really appreciated that attention to detail.
The Visit
My nurse practitioner, Melinda, showed up promptly at 11 a.m. She very professionally and pleasantly introduced herself and asked for my ID. We set up on my kitchen table. Melinda went over my medical history, including the medications I take. (You can’t ever escape that step!) The nice thing about being at home and doing that medications information is that I could just grab my bottles and show them to her! I didn’t have to search my memory for names and amounts.
Melinda asked about my symptoms and worked through all the details of my illness. She then performed a physical exam—blood pressure, ears, nose throat, lungs, and temperature. When she was done, she gave me a thorough explanation of my diagnosis, (not pertussis!) answering questions and reviewing treatment options.
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Melinda prescribed some medication, and then excused herself to go out to her car. She returned in a few minutes with the medication in hand! She then also gave me a “get well kit”. It was a wonderful assortment of cough drops, Tylenol and Kleenex, all very needed and welcome. Plus some feel better food items like soup, crackers, ginger ale and jello. I felt like my mom had dropped by to take care of me!
She gave me some written end-of-visit instructions. She explained that my co-pay would be put onto my credit card that I had input when I registered with WhiteGlove and so there was no payment and no additional paperwork required at that time. Then, as efficiently as she arrived, Melinda left. I was sad to see her go (keep in mind that I work at home alone all day), but really excited that I didn’t have to drive to the store to fill my prescription! It was 11:40 a.m.
The Follow-up
The next day, I went to Dallas. I missed my follow-up phone call from WhiteGlove, but my husband assured them I was well enough to travel. An even more comforting thought was the knowledge that if I did not feel better, I could call WhiteGlove in Dallas and they would come to my hotel. When you are a member of WhiteGlove, you are a member in all their service areas, not just your home.
Will I call WhiteGlove House Call Health again? In a heartbeat! Do I recommend it to all my friends? Every day!
Tips:
DO fill out your registration on a day when you feel good and have some free time. You’ll be glad you did when you wake up sick and can simply log on or call and request a visit!
DO have some ID ready when the nurse practitioner arrives. They ask for ID to make sure you are who you say you are. That seems pretty reasonable!
DON’T feel like you have to clean the house for the nurse practitioner. They won’t judge you, you’re sick!
DON’T think you have to have Aetna, Humana or UnitedHealthcare to use WhiteGlove House Call Health. Anyone can become a member.
I was sick. It started with a sore throat, and then moved on to chest congestion and had ended up with an unending cough. I was making a trip to Dallas in a few days and kept thinking, “Tomorrow I’ll feel better. It’s just allergies.” Finally, the day before I needed to leave for my trip, I threw in the towel and admitted to myself that I wasn’t getting any better. I knew there was pertussis at my daughter’s school, and so that was a nagging thought in the back of my mind. My other main thought was that I was leaving town tomorrow and I needed to get work done today! I didn’t really have time to do the whole “beg-to-get-in-to-see-a-doctor, wait-in-the-office, run-get-my-prescription-filled” thing.
Because we have Aetna for our insurance, and because we live in a WhiteGlove House Call Health service area, I knew we were automatically members. So I logged onto www.whiteglove.com to schedule a visit. Since I work out of the house, I didn’t have to bother with the decision of whether I should stay home or meet them at work. But it is nice to know WhiteGlove will go to either place.
At 8:30 a.m. I requested an appointment through the online system. At 8:45 a.m. I got a call from Stacy in WhiteGlove’s membership support and set a visit for 11 a.m. Perfect. That gave me time to straighten my house and brush my teeth. (One advantage of having them come to your office is that you don’t feel compelled to clean up for them.) I also managed to get in some work.
After the call, I also got a follow-up email to confirm my visit time. The neurotic, sleep-deprived part of me really appreciated that attention to detail.
The Visit
My nurse practitioner, Melinda, showed up promptly at 11 a.m. She very professionally and pleasantly introduced herself and asked for my ID. We set up on my kitchen table. Melinda went over my medical history, including the medications I take. (You can’t ever escape that step!) The nice thing about being at home and doing that medications information is that I could just grab my bottles and show them to her! I didn’t have to search my memory for names and amounts.
Melinda asked about my symptoms and worked through all the details of my illness. She then performed a physical exam—blood pressure, ears, nose throat, lungs, and temperature. When she was done, she gave me a thorough explanation of my diagnosis, (not pertussis!) answering questions and reviewing treatment options.
.jpg)
Melinda prescribed some medication, and then excused herself to go out to her car. She returned in a few minutes with the medication in hand! She then also gave me a “get well kit”. It was a wonderful assortment of cough drops, Tylenol and Kleenex, all very needed and welcome. Plus some feel better food items like soup, crackers, ginger ale and jello. I felt like my mom had dropped by to take care of me!
She gave me some written end-of-visit instructions. She explained that my co-pay would be put onto my credit card that I had input when I registered with WhiteGlove and so there was no payment and no additional paperwork required at that time. Then, as efficiently as she arrived, Melinda left. I was sad to see her go (keep in mind that I work at home alone all day), but really excited that I didn’t have to drive to the store to fill my prescription! It was 11:40 a.m.
The Follow-up
The next day, I went to Dallas. I missed my follow-up phone call from WhiteGlove, but my husband assured them I was well enough to travel. An even more comforting thought was the knowledge that if I did not feel better, I could call WhiteGlove in Dallas and they would come to my hotel. When you are a member of WhiteGlove, you are a member in all their service areas, not just your home.
Will I call WhiteGlove House Call Health again? In a heartbeat! Do I recommend it to all my friends? Every day!
Tips:
DO fill out your registration on a day when you feel good and have some free time. You’ll be glad you did when you wake up sick and can simply log on or call and request a visit!
DO have some ID ready when the nurse practitioner arrives. They ask for ID to make sure you are who you say you are. That seems pretty reasonable!
DON’T feel like you have to clean the house for the nurse practitioner. They won’t judge you, you’re sick!
DON’T think you have to have Aetna, Humana or UnitedHealthcare to use WhiteGlove House Call Health. Anyone can become a member.
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