If you are eligible to use medical marijuana under the laws of your state, you may have to obtain a medical marijuana card (MMJ) from your doctor. But no worries if you don’t have a GP or family doctor. Thanks to a growing number of forward-thinking companies, like Veriheal, you can now obtain a medical marijuana card using a state-of-the-art mobile app.
That’s right, the on-demand economy now extends to the medical marijuana industry. It has never been easier to obtain an MMJ. There are now mobile apps that put you in direct contact with doctors who are legally allowed to determine patient need and, where appropriate, issue the documents that constitute the MMJ.
Medical marijuana card apps are just the latest developments in a healthcare industry racing to catch up to the on-demand economy. Whether or not you agree with the principle of medical marijuana should not stop you from being amazed at how technology is changing healthcare.
A Visit to the Office
Medical marijuana was obviously not legal a decade ago. But if it had been, obtaining an MMJ back then would have required a visit to the doctor’s office. You would call your GP, set up an appointment, then wait in his or her office for who knows how long just to be seen. Even worse, your appointment might be scheduled for weeks or months down the road. In the meantime, you would continue suffering with whatever condition led you to make the appointment.
Things are different today. Thanks to high-speed internet and video technologies, seeing a doctor online is easier than ever before. Medical marijuana patients no longer have to visit a GP. They do not have to sit in a noisy, crowded waiting room while the doctor takes his or her time seeing dozens of other patients. Just bring up the mobile app at the appointed time and you are instantly in a video conference with the doctor.
Of course, this technology is limited. There may be cases when a person’s condition is too complex for the online doctor to make a determination. The same is true for standard telemedicine. Seeing a doctor online for primary care needs is one thing but expecting the doctor to deal with emergencies or complex situations is entirely different.
Improving Access to Healthcare
In a much broader sense, telemedicine can do for all of healthcare what it does for the medical marijuana card industry. It connects patients with doctors in real time without requiring them to meet face-to-face. Why is this a good thing? Well, there is no single answer to that particular question.
First and foremost, it gives patients access to medical services even if the nearest doctor is hours away. This alone is life-changing for rural patients who cannot just get in the car and drive five minutes to the doctor’s office. The on-demand economy puts access to medical care in the palms of their hands.
Second, the on-demand economy will, at least in some small way, help address the ongoing doctor shortage we are currently suffering. Doctors able to offer care using mobile apps can reach more patients in a shorter amount of time. That is more patients without having to open more offices.
The on-demand economy is changing the face of healthcare. It is certainly changing the way people get a medical marijuana card. Thanks to technology brought to bear by the on-demand economy, you can now get an MMJ by just bringing up a smartphone app and spending a few minutes consulting with the physician. It really couldn’t be any easier.