What is a telehealth visit?

A telehealth visit is a secure video appointment with your kidney care team that you join from home using a phone, tablet, or computer. You and your provider can talk face to face, review your health, and make a plan — without traveling to an office.

What kinds of kidney care can be done by video?

Video visits often suit follow-up appointments, reviewing lab results, managing or adjusting medications, and checking in on blood pressure or chronic kidney disease when you're stable. Many people alternate between in-person and virtual visits over time.

When do I still need an in-person visit?

Some care needs to happen in the office — a hands-on physical exam, blood and urine testing, an ultrasound or biopsy, and most first visits where your nephrologist is getting to know you. Telehealth complements this care rather than replacing it.

Does telehealth replace my in-person kidney care?

No. Telehealth is meant to fit alongside in-person care, not replace it. For stable, ongoing kidney conditions it can reduce trips to the office, but regular in-person visits and lab work remain an important part of protecting your kidneys.

What do I need for a video visit?

A smartphone, tablet, or computer with a camera and microphone, a reliable internet connection, and a quiet, private space where you can speak comfortably. It also helps to have your medication list and any recent blood-pressure or blood-sugar readings nearby.

Are telehealth visits private and secure?

Reputable telehealth visits use a secure, private video connection, and the same patient-privacy protections apply as they do in the office. Joining from a quiet space where others can't overhear also helps keep your visit confidential.

Can my blood pressure or lab results be reviewed over video?

Yes — reviewing recent lab results and home blood-pressure or blood-sugar readings is one of the things video visits do well. Having those numbers ready makes the visit more useful. Labs themselves are typically drawn beforehand at an office or lab.

Does Georgia Nephrology offer telehealth visits?

Yes. Virtual visits are part of how we care for patients, used alongside in-office appointments rather than in place of them. Whether a particular appointment can be virtual depends on the kind of visit and how you're doing — mention it when you schedule, or call your office and we'll tell you what makes sense for your care.

Telehealth & Virtual Kidney Care

The short answer

Telehealth is a secure video visit with your kidney care team — without traveling to an office. Georgia Nephrology offers virtual visits alongside in-office care: they often suit follow-ups, reviewing lab results, and check-ins on medications or blood pressure, while visits that need a hands-on exam or in-office testing still happen in person. Ask your care team whether your next appointment can be a video visit.

At a glance

What it is A secure video visit with your kidney care team from home.
Best for Follow-ups, lab reviews, medication and blood-pressure check-ins.
Not for Visits that need a hands-on exam or in-office testing.
Complements care Telehealth fits alongside — it doesn't replace — in-person kidney care.
What you need A phone, tablet, or computer with a camera, internet, and a private space.
How to start Mention it when you schedule, or call your office to ask.

What is telehealth?

Telehealth — sometimes called a virtual or video visit — is a secure video appointment with your kidney care team that you join from home, using a phone, tablet, or computer. Instead of traveling to an office, you and your provider connect over a private video link, talk face to face, review how you’re doing, and decide on the next steps together.

For kidney care in particular, telehealth has become a practical way to stay closely connected between in-person visits. It doesn’t change who cares for you or the quality of that care — it simply gives you another, more convenient way to reach the same team.

A telehealth visit is the same conversation you’d have in the office — just without the drive, the parking, and the waiting room.

What can be done by video?

Not every appointment fits a screen, but a surprising amount of ongoing kidney care does — especially when your condition is stable. Video visits tend to work well for:

Follow-up appointments — checking in on a known condition and how you’ve been feeling
Reviewing lab results — going over recent blood and urine work together, in plain language
Medication management — adjusting doses, starting or stopping a medication, and answering questions
Blood-pressure check-ins — reviewing your home readings and fine-tuning your plan
Chronic kidney disease check-ins — steady, ongoing monitoring when things are stable

A common, sensible pattern is to alternate — some visits in person, some by video — so you stay closely monitored without an office trip every single time. Your care team helps decide which visits make sense virtually based on how you’re doing.

When you still need to come in

Telehealth has real limits, and a good kidney care team is honest about them. Some things simply need to happen in person:

A hands-on physical exam — listening to your heart and lungs, or checking for swelling
Blood and urine testing — the labs that drive most kidney decisions
Imaging or a biopsy — such as a kidney ultrasound
Most first visits — where your nephrologist is getting to know you in detail

That’s why telehealth is best understood as a complement to your in-person care, not a replacement for it. For a sense of what an in-office appointment involves, see what to expect at a general nephrology visit.

The benefits of a virtual visit

For the right kind of appointment, a video visit can remove a lot of friction:

Convenience

No drive, no parking, no waiting room — join from home, often with less time off work.

Less travel

A real help if you live far from an office, don’t drive, or have mobility challenges.

Continuity

An easy way to stay closely connected to the same team between in-person visits.

For people managing a long-term condition like chronic kidney disease, fewer unnecessary trips can make consistent follow-up — which protects your kidneys — much easier to keep up.

Wondering whether a virtual visit could fit your kidney care?

Request an Appointment

What you need for a video visit

The setup is usually simple. In general, a video visit calls for:

A smartphone, tablet, or computer with a working camera and microphone
A reliable internet connection
A quiet, private space where you can speak comfortably
Your medication list and any recent home readings — blood pressure, weight, or blood sugar — nearby

A little preparation makes a video visit just as productive as an in-office one: jot down your questions ahead of time, and have your numbers ready to share.

50 yrs

Georgia Nephrology has cared for metro Atlanta’s kidneys since 1976 — now 19 physicians across 9 offices.

Telehealth at Georgia Nephrology

Virtual visits are part of how we care for patients — used alongside the in-person kidney care we’ve provided since 1976, not in place of it. The same physicians and advanced practice providers who see you in the office see you by video, so a virtual visit is a continuation of the same relationship rather than a detour to someone new.

Whether a particular appointment works by video depends on the kind of visit and how you’re doing. Follow-ups, lab reviews, and medication or blood-pressure check-ins are often good candidates. First visits, and anything that calls for a hands-on exam or in-office testing, are better in person.

The simplest way to find out is to ask: mention it when you schedule, or call your office, and we’ll tell you what makes sense for your care.

If you have questions about virtual visits or how your care fits together, please contact us, or find a location near you.

Related conditions & services

Telehealth