Virtual Care Frequently Asked Questions

Visit the MyUofMHealth webpage for more information about the MyUofMHealth Patient Portal, including FAQs.

• Activate your MyUofMHealth patient portal account at www.myuofmhealth.org.
• On your smartphone or tablet, search “MyUofMHealth” in either the Apple iTunes Store or the Google Play Store.
• Tip 1: Look for a blue folder with a maize M.
• Tip 2: For Apple iPads, when searching for “MyUofMHealth,” make sure you are looking for iPhone apps and not iPad only.
• Sync your MyUofMHealth Patient Portal mobile app with your MyUofMHealth patient portal account.

If you have trouble downloading the MyUofMHealth Patient Portal mobile app, please email [email protected] or call (734) 615-0872 during business hours, to speak with a patient portal representative.

What is an E-Visit?

Who can submit an E-Visit?

How do I request an E-Visit? 

When are E-Visit services available?

When will I receive a response after I submit an E-Visit?

Will my insurance pay for an E-Visit?

Will I be charged if I am not able to be treated by an E-Visit?

Will I receive a phone call when I submit an E-Visit?

What is a written treatment plan?

Will I receive a prescription when I submit an E-Visit?

Where will my prescription be sent?

Why can’t I find an E-Visit in my patient portal?

A Video Visit is a scheduled appointment with your health care provider where you connect via the MyUofMHealth Patient Portal. You will be able to see, hear, and speak to your provider and they will be able to see, hear, and speak to you, similar to the experience you might get using Apple FaceTime or Skype calls.

Your visit will be just as thorough and personalized as a traditional clinic visit, but without a trip to one of our hospitals or health centers.

Standard Video Visits are scheduled in advance directly through a specific U-M Health clinic.

U-M Health patients also have access to Urgent Care Video Visits, which are self-scheduled, same-day Video Visits available for evaluation of COVID-19 and flu symptoms.

Many appointments for non-emergency care or care that doesn’t require an in-person physical exam can be done through a Video Visit. Ask your University of Michigan Health provider if the appointment can be done through a Video Visit.

Though Video Visits are covered by many insurance policies, there are still some insurance policies that will not cover Video Visits for patients at home. Ultimately, it is your responsibility to confirm your insurance coverage.

How to confirm coverage for your Video Visit:

To confirm coverage with your insurance company, you will need to ask if you are covered for a live, two–way audiovisual communication between the physician and patient when the patient is located at home. Please reiterate that you will be at home for the Video Visit.

If a Video Visit is NOT a covered benefit:

If your insurance does not offer Video Visits as a covered benefit, you will be eligible for a self-pay patient discount for the Video Visit. Call University of Michigan Health Patient Financial Services at 1-855-855-0863 once you receive your bill for the service.

If a Video Visit IS a covered benefit:

If you have coverage, then your plan will process Video Visits the same as a face-to-face visit and assign copay, coinsurance and/or deductible based on your plan benefits. Covered benefits are not eligible for the patient pay discount.

Video Visits offer a convenient opportunity to connect to your University of Michigan Health provider without having to travel to a hospital or health center. Video Visits are fully secure and offer the same high-quality care that you would expect from an in-person visit, without requiring you to leave your home or office.

• You and your provider won’t be in the same room, so it may feel different than an office visit.
• Your provider may not be able to pick up conditions that might be found during a complete physical exam.
• Your provider may decide you still need an office visit.
• Technical problems may interrupt or stop your visit before you are done.

The length of Video Visit appointments varies based on your appointment type, but are often scheduled for the same period of time as an in-person visit. What happens during a Video Visit will vary, but the visit will be very similar to an in-person visit with the exception that the provider will not be able to do any exam requiring physical touch. You will have plenty of time for your provider to understand your needs and answer any questions you have.

Yes. An interpreter can be scheduled by the clinic when you schedule your Video Visit appointment. Patients will connect to the Video Visit through the MyUofMHealth Patient Portal prior to being connected to the interpreter.

Just like an in-person visit it may be that your doctor or health care provider is tied up with other patients and running behind schedule. We ask that you remain patient and in the virtual waiting room until your provider connects. If it appears that your provider is exceptionally late to the Video Visit, please contact the clinic number associated with your appointment and explain that you are trying to connect to a Video Visit and that your provider has not yet connected. We do ask that doctors and other health care providers offering Video Visits have a system in place to reach out to patients to let them know if a provider is running behind schedule.

A smartphone or tablet with the latest version of the MyUofMHealth mobile app and the Zoom Cloud meetings mobile app downloaded is recommended for your Video Visit. Do not use the browser on your smartphone or tablet. You can also use a computer or laptop with a microphone and camera and the Zoom app installed. Step by step instructions for participating in a Video Visit using either a mobile device or a computer are available here.

You do not need to be tech savvy to conduct a Video Visit. The technology has been designed so that anyone can use it. If you are having trouble, please ask for help! Many of our patients will ask family members to help them conduct the visit. Support staff is also available to assist you. If you need help with your MyUofMHealth mobile app, please call 734-615-0872 to speak with a patient portal representative. 

You may wish to invite additional family members, foster parents or caregivers to join your Video Visit. There are two ways you can invite a participant to your Video Visit

1. In your MyUofMHealth Patient Portal account before your visit:

• Select your appointment in your MyUofMHealth Patient Portal
• Under “Manage who will participate in this video visit” select “View and Invite Participants”
• Select “Invite a New Guest” and again, select “Invite a New Guest”
• Complete the form and send the invitation using the button at the bottom of the form
• Your guest will receive either an email or text message with the link to the visit, depending on your selection. Please remind them to download the Zoom app in advance and not to hit the link before the visit time.

Please note that if a visit is rescheduled or changed, you will need to re-send the invitation(s).

  
2. Within Zoom, once you have started your video visit:

• Click the “Participants” icon at the bottom of the Zoom wind.
• Click “Invite” at the bottom of the Participants pan.
• Click “Copy Invite Link” in the lower left-hand side of the Invite People to Join Meeting window.
• You can now paste the link in a text message to those who you would like to join the Video Visit if using a smartphone or tablet, or send an email if using a computer or laptop.
• The additional participant(s) can join the Video Visit by clicking the link. They will be entered into the waiting room.
• Let your provider know you have invited an additional participant to the visit. The provider will then admit your requested participant to the Video Visit.

For instructions with pictures to illustrate the steps for inviting a guest to join your Video Visit, please  click here