Have you ever been so ill you can’t manage to get out of bed? As a college student, I can’t count the number of times I wish there had been someone (e.g. my mom) who could bring me some chicken noodle soup or diagnose what in the world was wrong with me, as I usually was sick enough to be curled into a ball and drooling on my pillow. I couldn’t even bring myself to get out of bed to use the community bathrooms, so the idea of actually leaving my building to go the campus health center (and to then still not be excused from class) was abhorrent.
Well, people, Mend is here to save the day. Mend is a group of medical practitioners who are actually willing to enter your home and cure you of all your gross symptoms. It is possibly the best thing to happen to college students…ever.
I took the liberty of testing the app and taking photos along the way, just so that no one gets confused. The first step is downloading the app. Just search “Mend” in the iPhone App Store, and it’s the second result.
The next step is equally easy: read about why you ought to be using Mend, and then input some basic information like your email address and a password to register. There are some standard terms to accept and a privacy policy to read, and then you’re well on your way to being well!
Next up: adding card information. Because insurance companies really seem to like making paying for medical care difficult, Mend accepts all major credit cards and HSA and FSA cards rather than insurance. They will, of course, send along an invoice for post-facto filing, if you’d prefer.
Important fact! Mend will treat you wherever you are! Spending your lunch break at the sorority house? Sprained your ankle at the Dedman Center? Not a problem for the Mend Team. The Mend app allows you to input multiple locations. Add your dorm, the gym or your favorite coffee shop. The Mend Van is equipped with everything they need.
After selecting your location, a screen will pop up with all the available appointment slots for today and tomorrow. Just pick one (any time 8-8 Monday through Friday and 11-6:30 on weekends) and hit “schedule visit,” and you’re golden!imageIMG_4768
You’ll see a photo of the attending medical professional (so that you know what the person coming into your house looks like), and at this point, you’ll get a phone call about your symptoms. You tell them what’s wrong with you, and then you wait. That’s it. You wait in your bed with your soup and your Netflix and then the provider will show up at your door at the exact time you requested, ready to take care of you.
At this point, I’ll discuss my own visit a little more specifically. The practitioner was friendly and talkative, and the visit was never awkward or weird. This particular practitioner had over 13 years of medical experience, and the entire thing was sorted quickly. A short medical exam later, prescriptions were written and filled and voila! I feel better already.
When I hear the words “house call,” I automatically think of my grandfather making calls in a small living room full of lace doilies that smells faintly of cat urine. I’m happy to report that my Mend house call was absolutely nothing like that, and that the problems I had were cleared up quickly and professionally. Mend providers carry a lot of supplies in that van—everything except imaging equipment, in fact—and can all write prescriptions and have them delivered to your house for free.
I’m a little bit upset that Mend wasn’t around just a few years ago when I got the stomach flu, two colds, and pink eye (in both eyes… neat) in the same year, but I’m happy that they’re here to take care of me now.