Pediatric Video Visits: Care Without the Commute

If you have a concern about your child’s health or wellness, a pediatric telehealth visit can be a secure, convenient way to get care without traveling to a doctor’s office. Here’s what to know about virtual pediatrician visits for kids at Sutter Health. 

Benefits of Video Visits for Children

Video visits can be convenient since you can connect with a provider without leaving your home. And you can often schedule a video visit more quickly than an in-person visit, though it might not be with your regular pediatrician. And of course, keeping a sick child comfortable at home when possible is easier on you and them. 

When to Use Telehealth Visits for Kids

Each pediatrician and practice has their own guidelines for when online pediatric care is appropriate. Rakhi Mehrotra, M.D., a pediatrician at Sutter, says you can generally use telehealth for children for lots of concerns that don’t require a physical exam, such as:  

• Cold or flu symptoms without breathing issues
• Conditions like lice
• Developmental milestones, such as speech
• Follow-up for stable chronic conditions
• Follow-up on contraception in teens
• Follow-up on test results
• Mild digestive issues like minor diarrhea or reflux
• Ordering lab tests (you will need to go to the lab to have the test performed)
• Pink eye or minor eye allergy
• Rashes without fever
• Refilling a prescription
• Reviewing a treatment plan
• Simple behavioral issues like sleep problems, feeding issues or tantrums
• Travel advice, unless you need vaccines

When to Seek In-Person Care

In some situations, it’s best to see a provider in person: 

• A baby who is crying inconsolably
• Animal bites
• Asthma flare ups
• Breathing difficulty or wheezing
• Chest pain
• Dehydration
• Ear pain
• Fever that lasts more than a couple of days or fever without a cause (contact your provider for fever in a young baby)
• Head injury/concussion
• Injury, especially if you suspect a broken bone
• Pre-op checks before surgery, including dental surgery
• Regular wellness checkups, so your provider can track growth
• Severe vomiting or diarrhea
• Sore throat
• Sports physicals, which require a physical exam  
• Testicular pain in boys
• Vaginal discharge or itching in females
• Urinary symptoms

How to Use Pediatric Video Visits

Sutter uses a secure platform for video visits that protects your child’s privacy. You can schedule a visit by calling your pediatrician’s office or through the My Health Online (MHO) app. Or join the queue for an On-Demand Video Visit through MHO, available 24/7. 

To have a video visit, you need to:

• Be in a safe place: “We want you to sit and relax where we can talk to you,” Mehrotra says. “We don’t want you to be driving.”
• Be in the state of California: That’s where your provider is licensed.
• Have access to your device: You need your phone, tablet or laptop with the audio and video working properly.
• Have your child with you: Think of it like an in-person visit, where you would bring your child. By law, you can’t have a video visit without the patient being present.  

As with an in-person visit, you’ll get reminders ahead of time, the medical assistant will talk to you at the beginning of your appointment and then the provider will join.

Not Sure Which Type of Visit You Need?

If you’re not sure what type of visit is best for your child, you can call and talk to a nurse or send a message to your child’s provider through My Health Online.  

The level of care can always be adjusted if needed. “You can do a video visit, and if an exam is warranted, we can help you schedule an in-person appointment or recommend that you go to urgent care,” Mehrotra says.