Understanding the Differences: Virtual Urgent Care vs Virtual Primary Care

Before the pandemic, telehealth coverage was limited to certain patients. When COVID-19 hit, healthcare providers had to ensure patient safety in any way possible — including limiting in-person appointments. Now, many Americans depend on access to telehealth services and use them regularly.

With this rise in use, many new versions of telehealth have become available, including Virtual Primary Care and Virtual Urgent Care. Health Karma is among the first companies to offer both services bundled into one membership plan, along with other benefits like behavioral health, prescription discounts, and more. 

Health Karma subscribers have unlimited access to both, Virtual Primary Care and Virtual Urgent Care, but to get the most out of their plan, they must understand what each is used for. To make it easy, the Health Karma team has put together this guide to explain the differences:

What is Virtual Primary Care? (VPC)

With Virtual Primary Care, you can pick a dedicated provider that will personally see you at every follow-up visit. This means that they will know your medical history and will help you manage conditions that require ongoing treatment plans. These are often called chronic conditions, and some common examples are listed below:

• Diabetes 
• High blood pressure (hypertension) 
• Asthma 

If needed, your primary care physician can order in-person lab tests to confirm a diagnosis. A lab visit with a $0 copay is included in Health Karma plans; all you will have to do is pick the partnering facility that is most convenient for you.

Your doctor can also prescribe prescriptions to treat your conditions, and you can search for prescription coupons through your Health Karma dashboard, using our Health KarmaRx tool. Identifying and treating chronic conditions is essential to keeping yourself healthy and well in the long term. Many healthcare emergencies and major health issues can be prevented with simple interventions when caught early. 

Even if you feel healthy now, it's important to have annual wellness check-ups to catch any developing conditions early on. Early detection improves your odds of life-long wellness dramatically. Fortunately, annual wellness visits with your VPC doctor, along with lab tests, are also included in Health Karma plans!

When to use Urgent Care:

Virtual Urgent Care is available 24/7, and you will often be able to see a doctor within 5-10 minutes of making your appointment. You can use Urgent Care when you have minor illnesses or injuries that can't wait to be treated or that can be fully addressed in one or two visits. Some examples of these illnesses are:

• Allergies 
• Diarrhea 
• Respiratory infections 

Just like primary care doctors, urgent care doctors can diagnose your issue, prescribe medications, and give you recovery instructions. If they feel it's necessary, they may also tell you to schedule a follow-up appointment with your primary care doctor so that they can manage your full recovery.

With Virtual Primary Care and Urgent Care, you get the best of both worlds: Immediate care to access when you need it and ongoing treatment for a lifetime of wellness.

Telehealth is meant to be simple and convenient so that you can focus on wellness. If you haven’t decided on a plan yet, click here and learn more about our Virtual Primary Care + Behavioral Health solution.