In the midst of enjoying a family vacation this past February, Beth Sawyer’s daughter, Molly, started complaining about severe eye irritation, a tell-tale sign she was developing early symptoms of conjunctivitis — commonly known as “pink-eye”.

Typically, Sawyer would call for an appointment with the family physician, or, in the case of vacationing at Universal Studios in Florida, seek an urgent care center or emergency room.

This time, though, Sawyer could help Molly from the comfort of their hotel room thanks to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s Telemedicine, a new program from Sawyer’s insurance through Keshequa Central School District

“I started to register myself at home thinking I’m going on vacation and I need to do this,” Sawyer says. “Really, all I knew is that it’s like a doctor’s appointment over the phone or over a video call.”

This past January, Excellus BCBS partnered with MDLive to provide insurance holders with a faster and more convenient way of receiving non-urgent healthcare diagnoses. Telemedicine allows participants to “visit” with a board-certified doctor by phone or videoconference for medical non-emergencies such as rashes, fever, cold and flu, allergies and more.

“After I got off the iPad, [the physician] called me within three minutes,” Sawyer says.

Sawyer was able to take a photo of her daughter’s eye, show it to the physician and pick up a prescription at a local pharmacy.

Thanks to Telemedicine, a mild medical scare didn’t ruin the Sawyer family’s trip to Universal Studios in Florida.

“It was just really easy and convenient for this situation,” Sawyer says.

Todd Isaman, physical education teacher and Wellness Coordinator in Keshequa, was instrumental in helping to bring Telemedicine to the school district. Doctors being unable to prescribe all medicines over the electronic service, Isaman says overall feedback about the program has been positive.

According to Excellus BCBS, each Telemedicine “visit” includes a co-pay of $10, and possibly less depending on the patient’s insurance plan.

“Telemedicine is really just evolving with medicine, with how people access care and use technology,” says Eileen Wolff, workplace wellness consultant at Excellus BCBS. “Telemedicine just really opens the opportunity to engage with the doctor on a virtual visit. So you can do it by phone, computer, using Skype or videoconferencing. It’s care evolving as technology evolves.”

MDLive, the Telemedicine vendor, employs board-certified physicians across the U.S. According to Wolff, if you’re traveling — as was the case for Sawyer — a board-certified doctor will speak with the insurance member who is licensed to practice medicine in the state you’re calling from.

According to Excellus BCBS, there were about 6.4 million visits to hospital emergency rooms in New York in 2013. Ten common conditions — including ear infection, headaches and nausea — were that year collectively responsible for more than 2 million visits, which cost New Yorkers about $1.3 billion. Of these visits, about nine out of 10 were considered “potentially preventable” — meaning patients could’ve been treated outside the emergency room. An ER visit costs about eight times as much as seeing a doctor, four times the cost of vising urgent care, and 15 times as expensive as using Telemedicine.

“It’s convenience, but it’s also much more affordable for the member. So, for people who are on a co-pay plan, it’s a flat co-pay — about the same as a doctor’s office visit versus emergency care or urgent care, which are higher costs for the member,” Wolff says. “What we’re hearing back is that people are finding it helpful, much easier and quicker than going to urgent care or emergency.”