Patient Questions:

• Why do I have to enter private information like my social security number and credit card information into my profile?

Private information is used by the provider to verify identity in the case of the social security information, and for billing purposes in the case of credit card information.  You can share this with your provider online during your visit and just enter “1s” for the social security number.  This will not be a required field in an upcoming version.

 

• Is my private data secure?

Data entered into Housecall is encrypted and stored on a secured cloud server.  The video, audio, and data stream between you and your provider is an encrypted one to one session that requires authentication of an encrypted secret code in the background between the two parties to share data in a session. Any intercept of that data would not have the shared code and thus would not be a party to the shared stream.  No security breeches have been reported using this secure format.

 

• Can I try Housecall without entering profile data?

Yes, we have set up a trial account so you can get a feel for how Housecall works.  Use the username “Patient” and the password “patient” to log on to our trial account and explore Housecall before you ever spend your time entering your data into your profile.  This account will not be useful for an actual provider visit however.

 

• Is Housecall HIPAA compliant?

Yes it helps providers maintain HIPAA compliance, but as a business that provides only telemedicine access it is not required to be HIPAA compliant under the law.  Please see our Privacy Policy for more details:  http://iheartdoc.com/housecall/privacy.aspx

 

• How do I find my doctor in Housecall?

We are rapidly adding providers to Housecall.  Search the provider listing by name or search to find providers near you by pressing the location key in the upper right of the provider search screen and giving Housecall the right to use location services on your device.  At present we are seeking providers to use Housecall for their patients.  If your doctor is not yet using Housecall, on your next office visit take a picture of his or her business card with your device and send it to us at Provider@iheartdoc.com.  We will get in touch with them to let them know patients are interested in interacting with them via Housecall.  Let your provider know that you are interested in seeing them via Housecall!  They can email us at Provider@iHeartDoc.com and we will be glad to get them set up on Housecall.

 

• How do I add a picture to send to my provider?

When you click “appointment” to make an appointment with a provider, you are taken to the screen that allows you to make an appointment on a certain date or time, send lifestyle data or send a picture to share with your provider.  To share a picture you must click the picture icon on the middle, far right of the appointment screen.  You are then taken to the picture gallery.  You can add a picture to the gallery by tapping the upper right “add” icon.  You are given the choice of importing a existing picture from your photo library or taking a new picture with your camera.  Once you take or choose a photo, it is added to the gallery.  You can add multiple photos to the gallery and send multiple photos to your provider for review.  You must then tap the bottom left of each photo to choose it putting a “check” in the bottom left box and hit “send” at the bottom of the screen.  You are then taken back to the appointment screen.  To finalize your appointment hit “schedule” to complete the process.  Your provider will then be able to review any photo prior to, or during your Housecall appointment.

 

• How do I send data from my Withings scale, BP cuff, or Jawbone Up band to my provider?

You must first add any connected devices to your profile account by giving your username and password for your Withings or Jawbone account in that section of your profile.  Before you exit your profile screen, you must save it by tapping the disk icon at the upper right of the screen.  You can test to see if it works by going to the “wellness” section and seeing if your data is imported.  To send your wellness data to your provider for review,  just click the apple wellness icon in the appointment screen when making a provider appointment.  Save the wellness data for your provider by clicking the “save” icon at the upper right.  You are taken back to the appointment screen to complete the appointment by hitting the “schedule” button.  Your provider will then be able to review any wellness data prior to, or during your Housecall appointment.

 

• I have wellness data in an app that Housecall doesn’t yet support, or health data that I keep in a note on my device.  How can I send that data to my provider?

You can send data from your iOS device from any app or program by taking a screenshot of the data.  To do this you must bring up the data screen you wish to share with your provider.  With the data onscreen, press and hold the large button at the bottom of your device while then pressing and releasing the power button at the top of the device.  You should have heard the sound of a camera taking a picture.  You just took a screenshot of your device.  Share that like you would share any picture from your photo album with your provider.  Your screen shot is located in your camera roll.  This gives Housecall the ability to share data from any program with your provider.