What to do when you are traveling for spring break and suddenly come down with a mysterious rash, the flu or another ailment?
InRoomMD and other companies think they have the solution -- doctor hotel calls. Similar to the house calls that doctors made in the past, certified medical assistance can come right to your hotel room or suite to save you the time and hassle of waiting.
When you are a stranger in a strange place, it is scary enough. Then, add illness with less-than-prompt care and it does not make for a fun trip, said Andy Dinkin, vice president of sales and marketing for InRoomMD.
"People are doing injustice to themselves to not get a plan," he said.
Dinkin also said the plan is a good investment for students traveling for spring break.
The InRoomMD has a pre-travel plan, meaning that when paying ahead, customers get services at a discounted price.
The plan is $28.95 purchased 72 hours before the trip and then only $45 for a service visit. Otherwise, it could cost an upward of $300, Dinkin said.
"When you travel on spring break, you are spending thousands. Why not spend $30 to be guaranteed health care? Especially when you are traveling, you don't know where to get help," he said.
Ed Rosick, University Health Services physician, said minor illnesses are more common during vacations.
"The vast majority of people who get sick on vacation are going to get something simple," Rosick said. "Travelers are more likely to get a cold because of the different environment and new germs."
For those traveling on planes, the air is circulated so fliers are exposed to the germs of their fellow passengers, he said.
"Those traveling to tropical destinations, such as Mexico, are apt to get gastrointestinal problems," he added.
If students do get sick, they should base their treatments on the severity of symptoms, Rosick said. For a cold, one can simply go to a local drug store, but if it becomes more serious, they should go to an urgent care center.
"Primarily, we treat acute ailments -- sinus infections, rashes, burns, pink eye. These are all things that you would not be hospitalized for, but things you would go to an urgent care facility to have treated," Dinkin said. Things such as "suturing or X-rays are triaged to a local emergency room."
The plan also covers replacement of lost or forgotten prescriptions and eye or dental care, if needed, he said.
Currently, the InRoomMD company serves travelers in Las Vegas and Charlotte, N.C., but has plans to expand to other popular travel destinations in the near future, said Dinkin.
According to the InRoomMD Web site, www.inroommd.com, its plan is not the same thing as travel insurance.
"InRoomMD and travel insurance are two separate products. They are very different in the features and services that they provide and the customer that they are designed to serve. There is really not any comparison between the InRoomMD Travel Healthcare Concierge ProgramTM and travel insurance. In different situations, one may be more or less appropriate than the other," according to the Web site.
The Web site indicates that InRoomMD is aimed toward travelers staying in the United States, while travel insurance plans are designed with international travelers in mind.
Alaina Scalercio, branch manager of STA Travel located in the HUB-Robeson Center, said a lot of students would be traveling this year over spring break. STA Travel strongly recommends those students purchase travel insurance for the trip; they sometimes even require it.
"We hope no one ever needs to use it, but we've seen cases when it definitely was put to use," Scalercio said.
She said the plan covers medical care, lost baggage and trip interruption. "It covers whatever is necessary," she said.
The price, which is based on trip duration, costs $48 for a trip of up to eight days, she said.
Although InRoomMD is the only company to offer a pre-travel plan program, other companies have launched businesses to cater to travelers in need of medical assistance.
AM~PM House Calls is a nationwide company based in Florida with services available in major cities, said Dr. Ramsey Saffouri, founder and CEO of the company. He said that in the 10 years since he started the company, he has seen several cases dealing with unprepared students on spring break.
"Spring break is a great thing, but be prepared," he said. "[Students] have no insurance, no credit cards and no cash to get services."
To prevent that, he recommends students purchase travel insurance and take credit cards. Then, if they do get sick, they can go to a medical facility to receive care
He said the most common ailments student travelers suffer from are things such as food poisoning, sun poisoning or allergic reactions.
He said their "mobile emergency rooms" are equipped to handle a range of minor injures and illnesses or urgent primary care needs, including gastrointestinal problems, ear infections and simple wounds. Response time is about 30 minutes regardless of time of day, he said.
However, their portable facilities cannot handle traumas, such as heart attacks, gunshot wounds or strokes.
"We are the only company with toll free number -- 888-AM PM DOC -- to speak to doctors. Patients can still call even if they don't end up using our services. They can talk to a doctor 24 hours to day to seek treatment advice," Saffouri said.
Depending on the diagnosis, services can cost $375 or more, and if prescriptions are needed, they are delivered to the patient, he said.
