Nearly 200 million Americans are covered by private health insurance and 48-60 million have no insurance at all. In an effort to reduce costs and expand access of health services, telemedicine is becoming increasingly popular across the nation.
Telemedicine reduces unnecessary use of the emergency department for non-emergency care. Studies show that one in every four uninsured people gets care in the ER, resulting in excessive care and places an unwarranted strain on patient care. Implementing telemedicine solutions can save billions of dollars nationwide that are wasted annually on unnecessary or inappropriate care.
Consult A Doctor, a provider of telemedicine platform services and solutions, was launched in 2008 to provide easy, convenient and immediate access to 24/7 physician consultations by phone, secure messaging, video and now mobile app.
The core enterprise platform that deploys Consult A Doctor’s constant on-demand access is TeleCare 3.0, designed to increase access, reduce costs and improve outcomes. The cloud-based telemedicine platform is available for license to practices, hospitals, clinics, health plans, employers, unions, TPAs and other groups interested in offering telemedicine services. The platform is fully secure and can be customized to support the specific needs of a wide range of organizations.
Consult A Doctor’s network of board-certified physicians in all 50 states can discuss symptoms, recommend treatment options, diagnose many common, minor and/or brief illnesses, and prescribe medication when appropriate for anyone, regardless of their insurance status. The technology also features a content rich member health portal that combines 24/7 physician access with cutting edge health applications, empowering individuals and families to take an active role in health, prevention and disease management.
Its client base is made up of employer groups, including Fortune 100 groups, benefit brokers and consultants, and serve health plans, associations and travel services across all vertical industries including education, entertainment, finance, healthcare, retail and transportation.
The adoption of telemedicine is inevitable. According to AHIP, by the end of 2010 healthcare spending had reached $2.6 trillion, or more than $8,400/year for each person in the country. Three out of four patients want to communicate with their doctor, view lab results and request appointments online and nearly half would consider switching doctors to a practice that offers the ability to do so.
“The system doesn’t work, it’s broke today. The end of insurance companies, the way we’ve run the business in the past, is here,” said Mark Bertolini, Aetna CEO, chairman and president. “Much like Minute Clinic’s growth, which rose from less than 100,000 visits in 2006 to over 10 million visits in late 2011, we realistically foresee 100 million individuals per year accessing virtual care services and transactions by 2015.”
Several states, including Virginia and Pennsylvania, have passed legislation requiring both public and private health insurers to cover telemedicine and telehealth services at an equal or similar rate as in-person services.
With employer groups, payers, providers and hospitals all relying on telemedicine technology to reduce costs, expand access and improve outcomes, virtual healthcare trends such as providing remote home health services, reducing cost of specialty care, providing access to the inaccessible, expanding geographic branding and reach and reducing travel costs for disabled patients can be expected to become mainstream quickly.
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Edited by
Amanda Ciccatelli
