Ask an Expert with Samsung

Samsung Health’s Ask an Expert

Whether traveling abroad as I have been for the last month, or just trying to keep up with our busy schedule; finding time to stop and go to your physician can be a challenge.

I just returned from a long trip with my husband to Ireland. We saw the most amazing sites while touring the country. We also both had a hard time adjusting to the time difference. By day three, my body was telling me it wasn't happy. The lack of sleep, change in diet, and being close to so many people had my stomach doing flips. Needless to say the last thing I wanted to do was get sick now that we were home.

One of my friends reminded me that because I used a Samsung phone (we are accountability buddies for exercise), and because I used the Samsung Health app to track my progress, I was able to use the Samsung Health's Ask an Expert service directly from my phone. Say what? No urgent care trip for me after coming home from vacation.

I have enjoyed using the Samsung Health tracker for months. It keeps me on track for my step goal, water intake, and it tracks my heart rate and other levels right on my phone. It only takes a minute for me to check my progress.

The purpose of the heath tracker is to help you set your health goals, track your activity, get insights based on your lifestyle, stay motivated, and keep your health information secure.

And if you have a Samsung phone, the Samsung Health is already built into your Samsung phone – no download or membership required! My favorite part is that it syncs with my fitness watch. The Samsung Health tracks your biometric data and syncs with many partner apps such as MyFitnessPal, Garmin, and MapMyRun to gather more information about your health.

About Ask an Expert:

Using the Ask an Expert feature on your Samsung device, you can quickly see a doctor and on your schedule! It really doesn't get any easier than that! The program is staff by board-certified doctors who are ready to see you at anytime with no appointment needed.

 

Medical care that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not only is using the program easy, I was thrilled to see that my online doctor consultation was covered by my health plan. Not all health plans cover this option for medical care, so make sure to check if yours will cover some or all of it. Even if they do not cover the cost up front, many will accept your receipt like they do for other medical purchases on a reimbursement. Again, your policy limits and coverage may vary and you should always make sure of your plan. For me, just the convenience would have been worth the fee for the medical consultation.

So not only can you see and consult with a physician, they are able to send a prescription, if needed, directly to your local pharmacy for pickup.

Also if you are using the Samsung Health tracker, you can share your biometric data that your app tracks directly with the doctor you see online.

According to the website, the most common reasons to use this program is for the urgent care of things like:

• Sinus infection
• Cold/upper respiratory infection
• Bronchitis
• Sore throat
• UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
• Yeast Infection
• Cough
• Eczema
• Pink Eye/Conjunctivitis
• Stomach Infection (Gastroenteritis)
• Hypertension/high blood pressure
• Flu

They really do cover most of the reasons you would consider heading to the urgent care center, but with the added benefit of being able to stay at home or at work.

Set up is super easy, just follow the prompts and you will be ready to go in minutes. Open the Samsung Health app on your Samsung device and navigate to to have an urgent care visit with a doctor on demand.

 

You can also earn Samsung reward points for enrolling (while supplies last), subject to certain terms and conditions. Details on the offer can be found here.

Below are directions to access the promotions page where you can earn Samsung reward points:

 

So back to my issues from traveling. Let's just say that I was an unhappy camper. My pulse was elevated which made me hot, sweaty, and tired. My stomach was letting me know in NO uncertain terms that it was not going to allow me to get any rest.  After suffering for a full day and night, I was done. Between feeling ill and not being able to adjust to the time change back at home, I was beginning to wonder if I had caught something while traveling.  Thankfully my friend Amee reminded me of the service right on my phone.

Using my phone, I was able to connect with a doctor within minutes and discuss my symptoms. We both agreed it was most likely jet lag and the doctor suggested several ways that I could help my body adjust and recover. They also recommended over the counter treatments that I could find at any pharmacy.  Within another 24 hours I was feeling better and ready to get back into the swing on things.

Personally, I like the convenience of the setup. It not only saved me time, but I was able to see a doctor when I needed to be seen and not spend hours sitting in an urgent care center. I think it is an amazing program and certainly plan on using it again in the future.

As part of this promotion, I have a coupon code that will save you $10.00 off your first visit. Just use the code  for $10 OFF of a doctor visit which is regularly $59, making it only $49 with use of this code. This code expires on March 31, 2018.

 

Disclaimer: Compensation for this post was provided to me by Samsung via MomTrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Samsung or MomTrends. Ask an Expert (Online Doctor Visits) is a service offered through Samsung Health that helps you easily connect to medical and wellness experts from your phone. Samsung Health requires a compatible Android phone and a Samsung account. The Online Doctor Visits service is available in the U.S., except in Arkansas. The service is not for people suffering from medical emergencies or serious life-threatening conditions.  If you have a serious medical concern, please call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency department.