MUSC offers virtual health care visits at no charge for duration of federal government shutdown

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 22, 2019)- As the federal government shutdown continues past the 30 day mark, health care providers at MUSC are offering online medical visits at no charge to all South Carolina-based federal government employees through the duration of the shutdown. The MUSC Health Virtual Care program can address approximately 80 health issues.

Employees affected by the federal government shutdown and who need care are encouraged to use the promo code MUSCCARES4WORKERS to access virtual care services.

No matter how old the patient is, MUSC Health Virtual Care is for non-emergency, non-life threatening conditions only, when the illness, injury or issue does not require an in-person visit.

To use MUSC Health Virtual Care:

Go to the MUSC Virtual Care Frequently Asked Questions page, follow the directions for Furloughed Federal Workers (at the bottom) and get an email confirming the registration. Then you see a form asking if you have a serious problem such as chest pain or excessive bleeding. If you do, you get a message saying Virtual Care is not right for you and you need to be seen by a doctor in person. If you don’t have a serious problem, you then see a list of categories, including:

• Respiratory infections and allergies
• Eye, ear and mouth problems
• Skin and nail problems
• Insect issues such as lice and tick bites
• Medication to help you stop using tobacco
• Stomach problems
• Injuries and pain such as sunburn and lower back pain
• Medication refills
• Sexually transmitted diseases

If you choose one of those categories, you then get to decide if you want to do an online interview, which involves answering basic questions about your symptoms and uploading photos if needed; or a video visit that lets you see the doctor on your computer screen for a live consultation. Either way, at the end, if you need a prescription, you’ll get one.

All Virtual Care visits are handled by emergency department doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at MUSC Health. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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About MUSC Health 

MUSC Health is the clinical enterprise of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), comprised of a 700-bed medical center, the MUSC College of Medicine and the physician’s practice plan. It serves patients across South Carolina and beyond through four hospital facilities in Charleston and more than 100 outreach sites. Among these are the Hollings Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in the state, and a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital. The Medical University was founded in 1824 and has become a premiere academic health sciences center at the forefront of the latest advances in medicine, with world-class physicians, scientists and groundbreaking research and technology that is often the first of its kind in the world. Visit http://muschealth.org for more information.