Telemedicine is the practice of medicine remotely, or in a non face-to-face manner. This can be accomplished in 3 ways: 1.) telephone, 2.) “Live” or “real-time” video, or 3.) via MoonlightOrtho’s patent-pending Asynchronous Video Telecommunication.
With Asynchronous Video Telecommunication patients are able to upload a short, two-minute self video to their medical chart at their leisure. Video not only makes the telemedicine experience more personal, but it allows patients to explain their symptoms in great detail; as two minutes can be a significant amount of time, when uninterrupted. The video is later reviewed, along with the patient’s medical questionnaire, by your MoonlightOrtho® provider.
A remote telemedicine visit with a MoonlightOrtho® provider can save the average patient significant time and money. An Orthopedic telemedicine visit can be performed at the convenience of the patient, including after hours, nights and weekends. It can sometimes take 4-6 weeks to get in to see a busy, private practice Orthopedic Surgeon, but with MoonlightOrtho® you may be able to see that same surgeon within 24-36 hours (or same day with a Concierge Visit).
You can use your desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone to access our destination website at moonlightortho.com. Most browsers support the web cam; however, Firefox is sometimes problematic. We are currently working on mobile apps for Apple and Android as well.
Yes. You can upload a video file from your phone or mobile device, or an HD webcam can be purchased relatively inexpensively.
The ATA (American Telemedicine Association) has produced a series of standards, guidelines and best practices for healthcare providers to ensure that they are using telemedicine responsibly. All of our MoonlightOrtho® providers are required to become a member of the ATA.
It’s all in the name! We ONLY take care of patients with musculoskeletal and Orthopedic problems; whereas most telehealth/telemedicine websites are seeing and treating all types of medical conditions; offering the services of primary care physicians, not residency trained Orthopedic Surgeons.
You can search by provider name, or by your location of pain/symptoms and/or the state you live in; this option will give a dropdown list of all providers in your state.
No. Medicine is considered practiced in the state in which the patient resides and which the provider is licensed. However, some providers may not reside in the state which they are seeing MoonlightOrtho® patients, if the provider is licensed in multiple states. This is a good reason to review your MoonlightOrtho® providers Bio & Practice Location, if you anticipate the need for an in-office follow up after your MoonlightOrtho® visit.
This is the MoonlightOrtho® provider’s Bio & Practice Location, or resume. We want to give you ample opportunity to do your due diligence when researching your MoonlightOrtho® provider; as some patients might be weary of ‘seeing an online doctor.’ The CV has information regarding the MoonlightOrtho® providers background, practice location, years of experience, training, and possibly other life or personal achievements, experiences or even interests outside of medicine.
Yes, possibly, depending on the severity of the injury or trauma. There is a Disclaimer page that is meant to “screen” certain patients with significant injuries, and direct them to a more appropriate and higher level of care, such as their local Emergency Department or Urgent Care. Patients are asked to use common sense and logic when utilizing the services of a MoonlightOrtho® provider, understanding that there are certain inherent limitations of a telehealth/telemedicine-type patient-provider interaction.
No. We believe it takes a couple of years into practice, out on your own, before physicians are comfortable with making a diagnosis in a telemedicine setting.
YES! Due to patient demand, we have opened the MoonlightOrtho® platform up to our international patients. In fact, patients outside of the US can be seen by ANY MoonlightOrtho® provider.
We started out as an on demand, fee-for-service (cash/credit) Orthopedic telemedicine practice, as more and more patients are finding it cost effective to seek care outside of their high deductible insurance plans, with a number of patients these days not carrying any insurance at all. With that said, we are starting to contract with some larger Orthopedic practices that likely will be utilizing the MoonlightOrtho® platform to offer services to their insured patients.
By and large, NO. This is state-by-state, however, so please check out the rules for your individual state at http://www.cchpca.org/.
Our rates start at $159 for a New Patient visit, a Return Visit costs $89, and a Lab/Imaging Review visit $49. We also offer a Concierge Visit for $299, a Phone Consult for $179, and a “Live Chat” Physical Therapy Consult for $49. Post-Operative Visits are at NO CHARGE when available from your surgeon!
Yes, usually. Our MoonlightOrtho® providers are practicing Orthopedic Surgeons, Sports Medicine Physicians and Podiatrists; however, some of our providers may be licensed in multiple states and may have an office in another state than where you live, or they may be military surgeons, practicing telemedicine from wherever they are stationed.
We encourage patients to do their due diligence in researching their MoonlightOrtho® provider before scheduling a visit if in-office follow-up care is anticipated. Much information about your provider and their current practice status can be found on their Bio & Practice Location.
MoonlightOrtho® leaves this up to the individual provider; typically, however, your provider will not have the office staff or personnel to get the pre-authorization, unless this is something that the provider can delegate, which may be the case for some private practice providers. We anticipate that most patients utilizing MoonlightOrtho® will seek out cash-pay X-ray and MRI facilities, such as www.FastXray.com
A patient can expect a response from their provider within 24-36 hours for most visit types. A Concierge Visit patient will typically be seen by the MoonlightOrtho® provider the same day. However, there are rare occasions when your MoonlightOrtho® provider may have a delayed response, such as when they are on call, or up all night operating or dealing with orthopedic emergencies.
Yes, under unusual circumstances. An example would be if your provider feels that you are better evaluated in person in a clinical setting; in which case your money will be refunded and you may search another provider, or you may choose to follow-up with an Orthopedic Surgeon in an office setting.
Yes. We have teamed with Microsoft to keep your records safely stored on their HL-7 certified and HIPPA compliant Azure cloud-based servers. This means your information will always be available. Furthermore, your personal health information will be stored for a minimum of 7 years, just as it is in any hospital or doctors’ office.
Yes. In fact, we encourage you to print a copy for your personal file/records. Your patient Intake Form, once filled out by your MoonlightOrtho® provider with an Assessment and Recommendation(s), essentially becomes a printable PDF version of a History and Physical, just as you would receive from any hospital or doctors’ office visit. This is YOUR medical record.
Possibly, on a case by case basis. This is up to the individual MoonlightOrtho® provider and the circumstance.
Yes. We utilize the Stripe digital payment system for safe and secure credit and debit transactions. Your card information is never stored on the MoonlightOrtho® website for any reason.
Yes, possibly. 30 states and counting require insurance companies to pay for telehealth/telemedicine visits just as they would for an in-person visit. Please check with your carrier/benefits manager to see if your individual policy pays for Asynchronous telemedicine visits. If so, you may be able to retro submit your MoonlightOrtho® visit to your insurance company for reimbursement.
A Physical Therapy Consult consists of 20 minutes of on-demand, “real-time” chat with a licensed Physical Therapist. With this type of consult, your PT can offer insight and education about treatments to speed your recovery time, and will provide home exercises that can be preformed for various orthopedic conditions. The PT may also provide guidance, pictures and/or videos describing the specific stretches and exercises most beneficial to you. Additionally, during your consult, the Physical Therapist may offer a full telemedicine PT program, and can arrange for a follow up Physical Therapy treatment in a telemedicine or clinical setting, typically within a few days. This will streamline the process of getting into Physical Therapy for conservative or post-operative treatment of your musculoskeletal condition. At MoonlightOrtho® we believe in continuity of care, and take a "team approach" to treating your orthopedic problem(s)!"
Yes, possibly. A Post-Operative Visit is a concierge level service that can ONLY be offered by your surgeon if he or she is also a MoonlightOrtho® provider. This option is not available to all patients, and may ONLY be taken advantage of if your surgeon has given you directions/permission to do so, and they are listed on the MoonlightOrtho® website as a provider in your state. A Post-Operative visit on MoonlightOrtho® has to be arranged for by your surgeon, in his or her office, prior to or after your surgery; and you should be within 90 days of your surgical date. This should be at NO charge to you.
*If your surgeon is not yet part of the MoonlightOrtho® provider network, please let them know that you would appreciate the convenience of this service!
We have compiled several short (8-10 minute) informational videos, from fellowship trained Orthopedic Surgeons, discussing the most common orthopedic conditions we encounter in an office or telemedicine-based practice. These videos can be accessed via YouTube, or the full length version of the video can be found within the Patient Dashboard once registered for your FREE patient account.
YES! Please click on the FastXray Visit type within the Pricing page to learn more. This service is just $39 and allows you to bypass the traditional constraints of obtaining an imaging referral or Doctor’s order for a simple imaging modality. We have also partnered with www.FastXray.com to offer our patients another alternative to the high priced imaging typically offered at their local facilities.