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Northeast Georgia Physicians Group offers e-visit for flu
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Northeast Georgia Medical Center North Patient Tower. - photo by Scott Rogers

As flu season dawns, Northeast Georgia Physicians Group is unveiling their new e-visits for treating common flu-like symptoms.

The treatment option allows patients suffering from the common indicators of the flu — fever, aches, chills, fatigue, cough, etc. — to receive a diagnosis and prescription for flu medication without needing to leave the comfort of their blanket fort and hot soup.

Patients can now sign up with MyChart and fill out a brief questionnaire. A healthcare provider will respond to the questionnaire within 24 hours with a treatment plan and any necessary medication.

“When people start coming down with flu, they don’t feel like going anywhere,” said Medical Plaza 400 Administrative Director Jo Brewer. “They pretty much know they have the flu.”

“If they can do the e-visit,” Brewer added, “and answer a few questions, instead of dragging themselves and having the expense of going physically to the urgent care, they can likely call you in the Tamiflu. And getting the medication early is really important to having a shorter ailment.”

E-visits will cost $40, and can be paid using a health savings account or credit card. Insurance will not be billed.

E-visits for the flu are growing in popularity now that the Centers for Disease Control no longer recommend the rapid flu tests as a primary tool for diagnosing influenza. This decision was made due to the increasing number of false positives.

“We’ve seen some positive flu,” said Brewer. “I don’t think it’s endemic yet, but it’s still out there.”

To learn more, visit https://www.ngpg.org/evisit/