You may have to pay up to $160 just to send a message to your doctor as hospital systems impose fees to accommodate the boom in telehealth services, according to a report.

• Hospital systems charge patients who send telehealth messages to their doctors, the AP reported.

• Some hospitals say doctors spend a lot of time responding to inquiries.

• Advocates say adding these fees will make some patients more hesitant to reach out.

A patient could be charged up to $160 just for sending a message to their doctor about a health problem, as some hospital systems in the United States introduce fees amid the rise of telehealth services, according to the Associated Press.

Hospitals cite the increasing amount of time doctors spend responding to their patients’ requests, including some that would be better addressed during an in-person visit, the outlet reported.

Telehealth services, which have exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, offer patients the convenience of checking in with healthcare professionals from home via virtual appointments and using patient portals accessible via a computer or smartphone, Insider previously reported.

But this quickly became a constraint for some health professionals.

“When people realized it was cool and could improve care, you saw hospitals and practice groups telling patients, welcome to your portal…you can send questions to your doctor if you wish,” Jack Resneck Jr., president of the American Medical Association, told the AP. “We found ourselves as doctors receiving dozens and dozens of these a day and not having time to do this work.”

For example, according to The AP, a representative from the University of California, San Francisco Health, said that doctors received 3 million messages in a year and, as a result, informed patients that they would start being billed for certain requests.

Hospitals, in some cases, may charge a Medicare patient $3 for an inquiry, but if you are uninsured the cost can be as high as $160 per outlet.

According to The AP, sending requests such as a photo of a rash can result in a bill. Advocates argue that new fees could make patients more hesitant to contact their doctors.

“This is a barrier that denies access and will lead to hesitation or fear to communicate and potentially harm patients with lower quality care and outcomes at a much higher cost,” said the founder of Patient Rights Advocate, Cynthia Fisher, to the Associated Press.

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