TeleDirectMD

Our founder Parth Bhavsar, MD sat down with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for their Aging in Atlanta guide. The question: how do you keep healthcare costs from derailing your budget after 50?

Here are the five things he told them to start doing. Swipe through for all five.

1. Ask for the cash price at the pharmacy. Paired with a discount card it can land under your copay, often on blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes meds.
2. Shop the scan. The same lab or imaging test can vary by hundreds depending on the facility. You are allowed to ask the price first.
3. Ask about the bill. Self-pay and high-deductible bills are the ones most likely to move. One phone call can be worth hundreds.
4. Re-shop your Medicare plan every year. Your plan and your med list both change. Check before open enrollment closes.
5. Use your preventive care. Many screenings, vaccines, and annual visits are covered at 100 percent.

His bottom line: in healthcare the price is often negotiable and inconsistent outside of insurance. Being a smart consumer is not about cutting corners. It is about asking good questions.

Save this and send it to a parent.

Full article: link in bio. Questions about your own care? Same-day video visits, $79 flat fee, physician only, in 40+ states. [email protected]

There is now a pill that helps prevent some bacterial STIs after s*x. It is called doxyPEP, and in 2024 the CDC issued its first national guidelines for it.

Here is what it actually is: a single 200 mg dose of doxycycline, an antibiotic used safely for decades, taken within 72 hours after s*x and no more than once in 24 hours.

What the trials show: across three randomized studies, syphilis and chlamydia dropped by more than 70 percent, and gonorrhea by roughly half.

Who the CDC recommends it for: gay and bis*xual men and transgender women who have had a bacterial STI in the past year. It is a shared decision with a clinician, not a blanket recommendation.

What it does not do: it will not prevent HIV or viral STIs, and it does not replace testing or condoms. It prevents, it does not treat. If you notice unusual discharge, a new sore, burning with urination, pelvic or testicular pain, or an unexplained rash, see a clinician promptly.

DoxyPEP is prescription only, so it starts with a conversation. A board-certified physician can review your history, order baseline testing, and prescribe when it fits. $79 video visit, licensed in 40+ states. Booking link in bio.

Heard of doxyPEP before today? Tell me below. I read every comment.

Parth Bhavsar, MD

Sources: CDC doxyPEP Clinical Guidelines, MMWR 2024; Luetkemeyer et al., NEJM 2023. For educational purposes. Not medical advice.

Hashtags: *xualhealth

You’ve used the same telehealth app for 18 months. You’ve never seen the same doctor twice.

That’s not a glitch. That’s the business model.

Most telehealth platforms route you to whoever’s available. Gig-pool contractors. First-available queues. Volume over relationship. When your insurance changes, your doctor changes. You fill out a new intake form. You start over. Again.

There’s a name for it: Provider Roulette.

At TeleDirectMD, you pick your physician. You keep them. Same board-certified MD, every visit. $79 flat. No insurance required. No prior auth. No surprises.

Telehealth that actually remembers you.

TeleDirectMD.com | [email protected]
Adults 18+ | Available across 40+ states

Save this before you need it.

The classic UTI: burning, urgency, frequency — no fever, no flank pain. Most of the time, a same-day video visit can handle it.

When to skip telehealth: fever over 100.4°, back or side pain, vomiting, pregnancy, or blood in your urine with severe pain. Those need in-person care.

$79 visit. Board-certified MD. Antibiotic sent to your pharmacy, often within an hour.

Holidays don’t pause health concerns. Sore throats, UTIs, sinus infections, rashes, medication refills, and travel-related issues don’t wait for offices to reopen.

This Memorial Day, while honoring those who served, know that TeleDirectMD physicians are available by video. Same-day appointments. $49. Licensed in 40+ states.

teledirectmd.com

🇺🇸

Not all bug bites are created equal 🦟

Normal vs. worrisome vs. get-help-NOW.

Swipe to learn the difference ➡️

Save this. Share this. You’ll thank us later.

Online symptom checkers get it right only 34% of the time.

That’s not a typo. Two out of three times you Google your symptoms at 2 AM, the first result is wrong — usually scarier than the truth.

There’s even a clinical term for what happens next: cyberchondria. Roughly 1 in 4 people who Google their symptoms end up MORE anxious, not less.

Save this for your next 2 AM spiral. 💬 Comment the wildest thing Google convinced you that you had.

—
$49 video visit. Board-certified physician. Often same-day.
Link in bio.

Sources: Pew Research 2023, BMJ Quality & Safety 2015, Starcevic & Berle 2013
For educational purposes. Not medical advice.

You trust your daily 8 glasses of water to keep you healthy—but have you ever paused to think about what might be inside it? 💧

From microplastics to unseen contaminants, not all water is as pure as it looks. Hydration is essential, but quality matters just as much as quantity.

Your health isn’t just about what you consume consciously—it’s also about what you don’t see.

At TeleDirectMD, we believe awareness is the first step toward better health. Because small, everyday choices can have a bigger impact than you think.

Stay informed. Stay healthy.

Telemedicine TeleDirectMD HealthyLiving

Your doctor sees you for a few minutes.
But your body speaks every single day.

Health isn’t just about one visit—
it’s about patterns, signals, and changes over time.

The real power?
Catching it before it becomes a problem.

https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/9-best-watches-for-monitoring-your-health-according-to-experts