HMSA: 24/7 Online Doctor Visit 4+

Early response: Am happy about receiving medical assistance without having to leave home. Occasional technical glitches. Not the best in informing users of updates that change the interface from an already-existing patient's perspective. I guess they depend on service providers (doctors) to inform patients of changes, but they, in turn, aren't kept informed either.
2019: Changed my rating from four to five but there is a major flaw with their survey form at the end of each session: NONE of the options they provide are a real choice for me so I totally resent having to “fake” an answer as my doctor is NOT available for me to see in person and I don’t need emergency care, etc!! So fix your survey form!

2020: A year later: no one seems to pay attention to suggestions that are more about the survey than the app itself: but the SURVEY is a crucial part of the feedback loop! If I’m forced into saying “I’d do NOTHING” it is not the same as my needing to see a provider who is NOT my doctor in Honolulu- nor is my case an “emergency “ so that option is moot in a therapy session. I depend on seeing my therapist but have no viable alternatives to respond within the app you have created!

I’ve used this for four sessions with the same health care provider so far. The first two sessions went fine; the third and fourth, when I searched her name at the time of my appointment, system showed her as “OFFLINE” and I wasn’t able to start the call. This was super distressing and hard to sort out, as my sessions are only 30 minutes long, so even a small delay feels huge. I had to wait several minutes until it listed my doctor as “ONLINE” before I could select her for a session. Then I had to skip through all the intake forms and sit through the unnecessary “welcome” video (eating more of my session time). My doctor didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t assist, and I have no clue why it worked fine the first two sessions I had and then developed problems the second two.
Also, on the fourth visit, it told me it couldn’t connect to my insurance provider, and it made me pay out of pocket. I got it reimbursed, but why on earth is HMSA’s system not able to connect to itself?? I’m using the Online Care system because I have HMSA insurance! This makes no sense to me!

I’ve used other telehealth systems that are way more straightforward and easy (they send you a link via email, you click it and are connected to your provider. Simple). I don’t understand why this one needs to be so counterintuitive and difficult.

Thanks to the HMSA Online APP I got to keep on seeing my regular psychologist that I’ve been seeing for years. When my psychologist moved to Virginia a few years back, I was worried I would have to find a new doctor. I was not looking forward to that, because the doctor I was seeing for years, is a very good psychologist, & I really felt comfortable with him. But thanks to the HMSA Online APP, I am able to keep seeing my psychologist, even if he lives in Virginia, & I live here in Hawaii. I see him every week, just like if he was still here in Hawaii. And the great thing about this is, I don’t have to drive anywhere, find a parking, walk & wait for the elevator. I just relax in the comfort of my bedroom, & when it’s my appointment time, I click on the APP, go through the process of logging in, then visit with my doctor (face to face), just like if I were visiting with him in person! Thanks HMSA Online for this great APP, & for not making me have to give up a excellent doctor (Dr. Edward Bieda)!