Naval Hospital Jacksonville now offers some health visits as virtual visits, thanks to a new app.

Navy Medicine is conducting its world-wide pilot of Navy Care at Naval Hospital Jacksonville. Navy Care enables patients to have a virtual visit with a clinician, by using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. It's private, secure, and free.

Navy Care offers care where the patients are, and where the providers are.

For a virtual visit, the patient can be at home, at work, or anywhere that offers privacy. The clinician works from their office at the hospital or branch health clinic. The patient and clinician see and talk to each other in real time, using Navy Care's secure app or website, from any video-enabled device (such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer).

"Navy Care delivers convenient care to our patients, with the same quality as a face-to-face visit," said NH Jacksonville Commanding Officer Capt. David Collins. "It's an extension of value-based care, which focuses on value from the perspective of the patient."

Navy Care has rolled out for certain types of follow-up visits in allergy, behavioral health, clinical pharmacy, diabetes wellness team, family medicine, fitness enhancement program (FEP), neurology/sleep medicine, nutrition, orthopedics/podiatry, specialty pediatrics, periodic health assessment (PHA), and urology.

"The Navy Care app was so easy to use," said Lt. Kurt Bogart, a fleet division officer based at Naval Station Mayport. "It saved me two hours in travel time for a follow-up visit with my doctor at Naval Hospital Jacksonville."

Bogart appreciates the convenience the Navy Care app provides. "I think this technology is great," he said. "My doctor could monitor my progress with the app and discuss my treatment with me, just like I was there in his office."

If your medical needs are appropriate for a virtual visit, your provider will discuss Navy Care with you. You'll fill out and submit consent forms. Hospital or branch clinic staff will create an account for you. You'll access your account by visiting the website at https://navy.care, or by downloading the free Navy Care app (for iOS on the Apple App Store, or for Android phones at the Google Play Store). You'll receive an email confirming your appointment. When it's time for your virtual appointment, you'll check-in using the link sent to you by email (or by logging in to the app or website). There's a technical support team available by phone (at 866-795-8900) and by email (at navycare@americanwell.com).

To use Navy Care, the patient needs to own a video-enabled device (such as a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer) that's connected to a 3G, 4G LTE, or wireless (Wi-Fi) network.

"Our sleep medicine patients have been very pleased with the convenience of follow-up visits using the Navy Care virtual environment," said John Hawley D.O., a neurologist at Naval Hospital Jacksonville.

Each of the nearly 50 providers selected for this pilot program have completed specialized training to provide care through the new service.

NH Jacksonville's priority since its founding in 1941 is to heal the nation's heroes and their families. The command is comprised of the Navy's third largest hospital and five branch health clinics across Florida and Georgia. Of its patient population (163,000 active and retired sailors, soldiers, Marines, airmen, guardsmen, and their families), almost 85,000 are enrolled with a primary care manager and Medical Home Port team at one of its facilities. To find out more or download the command's mobile app, visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax.

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, visit www.navy.mil/.