Patient expectations

  • Make sure you are in a quiet space free of interruptions and distractions. (No wind blowing, background noise, side conversations, etc.) Using headphones/earbuds with a microphone will assist in decreasing background noise.
  • Make sure you are in a private space where you can freely communicate with your provider without fear of others overhearing.
  • Be aware of what is in your background.
  • Dress as if you were attending an in-person visit with your provider.
  • Use secure Wi-Fi when possible to ensure privacy.
  • Make sure you are either plugged in or have a fully charged battery on your device.
  • Avoid holding or moving your device. Try to keep stationary with the patient as the center point of the camera.
  • Please be prepared for your visit just as you would an in-person visit:
    • Have your medication list and any other pertinent information available to share with your provider
    • Have any questions/concerns written down prior to your appointment so you remember to discuss everything with your provider. Have a pen and paper handy so you can take notes if you desire.
    • Have glasses available if necessary to be able to see the screen clearly.

Using Mend Telehealth Platform

Video visits (sometimes called Telehealth, Telemedicine, Virtual Care, etc.) allow you to connect with your healthcare provider through a secure video connection rather than in-person.

Telehealth visits are billed the same as an in-person visit. When you agree to participate in a telehealth visit, you are giving SIU Medicine consent to bill your insurance for the visit.

  • Medicare patients will be responsible for the same coinsurance and deductible.
  • Contact your insurance provider for questions about how much you may owe.

You must be physically located in the state of Illinois during your telehealth visit.

SIU Medicine is using a program called Mend for you to be able to see/hear your provider on your computer, smartphone or tablet.

Your visit is HIPAA-compliant with multiple security standards to ensure that your information is protected.

Telehealth offers four fundamental benefits

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Improved Access

For over 40 years, Telehealth has been used to bring healthcare services to patients at distant sites. Not only does Telehealth improve access to patients but it also allows physicians and health facilities to expand their reach, beyond their own offices. Given the provider shortages throughout the world--in both rural and urban areas--Telehealth has a unique capacity to increase service to millions of new patients.

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Cost Efficiencies

Reducing or containing the cost of healthcare is one of the most important reasons for funding and adopting telehealth technologies. Telehealth has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of chronic diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays.

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Improved Quality

Studies have consistently shown that the quality of healthcare services delivered via Telehealth are as good those given in traditional in-person consultations. In some specialties, particularly in mental health and ICU care, Telehealth delivers a superior product, with greater outcomes and patient satisfaction.

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Patient Demand

Consumers want Telehealth. The greatest impact of Telehealth is on the patient, their family and their community. Using Telehealth technologies reduces travel time and related stresses for the patient. Over the past 15 years, study after study has documented patient satisfaction and support for telemedicine services. Such services offer patients the access to providers that might not be available otherwise, as well as medical services without the need to travel long distances.


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Telehealth Patient Story - Maternal Fetal Medicine Spring 2020

Autumn Bohac of Effingham was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when she was 16 years old. Now a 29-year-old mother of four, her health care journey reveals the everyday anxiety and pain that rural patients feel.

Autumn lives just a few blocks away from her town’s hospital. However, specialty care teams she has needed to manage her diabetes and four high-risk pregnancies have always been almost two hours away.

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Telehealth Patient Story - Ears, Nose and Throat Clinic Summer 2020

Instead of renting a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, driving two hours and risking exposure to COVID-19, the Hall family from Tuscola, Illinois jumped at the chance to have a telehealth visit with an SIU Medicine surgeon.

Suffering from multiple sclerosis, Vicki Hall often makes the painful trip to see her various doctors in Central Illinois, including the trek to Springfield to see several of her SIU Medicine doctors.

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COVID-19 Update: Personal protective equipment donations needed for health care workers

At the request of HSHS Illinois (including HSHS St. John’s Hospital and HSHS Medical Group), Memorial Health System, Springfield Clinic and SIU Medicine, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach will start accepting donations from the community related to COVID-19 supply shortages on Wednesday, March 25 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.