The first round of enrollments of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare was responsible for more than seven million individuals purchasing health insurance. When the second round begins in November, millions of more people will be part of the U.S. healthcare infrastructure, which is not fully equipped to handle the influx of so many people in such a short period. By all accounts, the shortage of healthcare professionals across the entire spectrum will be facing many challenges. Industry experts believe one of the ways to handle this situation is by using new technologies to manage the available resources more effectively. Teladoc, a national telehealth provider, believes existing and new patients coming in to the system can use telehealth to meet their primary care needs.
Teladoc provides 24/7 access to affordable medical care via phone, secure online video, mobile app or HealthSpot Station – a private, walk-in kiosk. The company has eight million members and delivers more than 250,000 consults annually for non-emergency medical issues with board-certified physicians. Since it was founded in 2002 it has partnered with health plans, corporations, organizations and patients to provide a telehealth solution that has proven to be effective and efficient in delivering care.
The company announced it has added two new board members to its organization to help further its goal of implementing telehealth solutions to a wider audience. Senator William Frist, M.D. and David B. Snow, Jr., former Medco Health Solutions chairman and CEO, will bring their extensive experience in the public and private medical field to accelerate the company’s growth strategy.
In addition to the announcement of the two new board members, the company revealed it has secured $50 million in funding, which it said is one of the single largest investments in a telehealth company.
Senator Frist is a world-renowned cardiothoracic transplant surgeon and a leading authority on health care policy who served on both the Health and Finance Committees during his tenure on Capitol Hill.
“As a Teladoc board member, I want to ensure our country’s legislative groups understand the benefits Teladoc can bring to the health care system as a whole, but most specifically, the need it fills for the patients it serves,” said the Senator.
David B. Snow, Jr. most recently served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Medco Health Solutions, growing the company’s revenue from $34 billion to more than $70 billion. His prior experience includes serving as president and chief operating officer at Empire BlueCross BlueShield and now serves as the chairman and CEO of Cedar Gate Technologies, a health care information technology data analytics company.
“As more and more companies look for efficient and cost-effective means for providing health care to their employees, telehealth – and Teladoc – are critical to fixing what is broken within our health care system today,” Snow added.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
