Tele-Medico

11/07/2020

11/21/2018

Antonia Eiríz (1929-1995) "El dueño de los caballitos" 1965, oleo, collage y tela pegada y quemada sobre lienzo; 173.5 x 160.5 cm. Colección Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de Cuba.

10/31/2018

Wifredo Lam (1902-1982) "Untitled" 1970, pastel on paper 27.9 x 19.6 in (70.7 x 49.9 cm).

01/30/2018

Teladoc business subscribers fall into one of two categories:
Businesses currently offering a subsidized employee benefit program. Teladoc’s national customers include such well known names as Home Depot, Penske, Rent A Center, Accenture, T-Mobile, and Starbucks. These and other employers subsidizing employee benefit programs have used the Teladoc program to significantly reduce claims-related operating costs. For the 75% of consultations that the AMA estimates can be handled remotely, a Teladoc consultation is far less costly than an Emergency Room, Urgent Care Center, or Primary Care Physician office visit.
All 50 state insurance commissioners consider the Teladoc program to be a “wellness” program, and NOT an “insurance” program. Therefore, the program can be quickly implemented, irrespective of the employer’s medical “plan year,” and without disrupting any existing broker relationships.
Over the long-haul, the cost savings associated with the program should be the same in a fully-insured or a partially self-funded plan. The Teladoc program significantly reduces claims-related operating expenses, and therefore it is always best to implement the program as quickly as possible. To the extent that claims go down, fully-funded employer finance/HR teams should be able to leverage their claims-related savings to negotiate premium reductions at the time of plan renewal. Since partially self-funded businesses “own” their own plans, and usually remit premiums to their plan administrator as claims are incurred, they reap the rewards of reduced claims expenditures sooner.
Whether they fully-fund or partially self-fund their plans, it is advisable for employers to add the no co-pay and no deductible Teladoc model to their suite of benefit programs as soon as possible and, as a result, reap the benefits of the highest utilization and ROI in the industry. Over a period of years, the savings should be about the same in fully-funded and partially self-funded programs. However, the savings occur sooner in a self-funded plan.
Businesses currently unable to offer a subsidized employee benefit program. Most small business owners are seeking ways to reward loyal full-time, part-time, and/or seasonal employees. Thousands of employers around the country have found the Teladoc program to be an affordable significant way to retain or recruit loyal employees. For less than $.10 an hour, small employers can provide a benefit program to employees (and up to 5 additional family members) that will satisfy up to 75% of their family’s medical needs. For start-up and going-concern small business owners, the no co-pay and no deductible Teladoc program is an affordable and meaningful way to stick one’s foot in benefit waters.

01/30/2018

Tele-physician industry:
According to the National Business Group on Health, 74% of large employers are expected to offer a tele-physician program in 2016 vs. 48% in 2015 and 28% in 2014.
77% of consultations occur from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST. Peak period noon-3:00 PM EST.
75% of consultations occur Monday-Friday, and 25% occur Saturday-Sunday.
Utilization by age: 31-45 (38%), 46-65 (27%), 19-30 (19%), under 19 (15%), all other (1%).
Utilization by gender: female (61%), male (39%).

01/30/2018

Typically, employers offering a full suite of benefits to their employees would include medical, dental, vision, short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance coverage in their employee benefit programs. A majority of large employers, and an ever-increasing number of medium and small employers, are now adding a tele-physician component to their benefit programs. Why?
The Teladoc no co-pay and no deductible program model, has by far the highest utilization rate in the industry, and therefore the highest Return on Investment (ROI). Large national players like Home Depot, Penske, and Rent A Center have significantly reduced their claims-related operating expenses by providing the Teladoc tele-physician program to employees.
Including the no co-pay and no deductible program model in the corporate benefit package can also result in significant out-of-pocket savings for employees. Typically, corporate medical plans have a $20-$40 physician co-pay, a $100-$250 ER deductible, and either a 90%/10% or 80%/20% employer/employee co-insurance ratio. By first reaching out to a Teladoc physician, employee families can avoid some co-pays and deductibles, as well as some portion of their medical cost-sharing responsibilities.
In terms of overall value to employers and employees, the Teladoc no co-pay and no deductible program should stand second in line behind the company’s medical program; and ahead of the dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance programs. Why? Because the program generates cost savings for employers and employees, and costs less and has a higher utilization rate than the other programs.
For small employers that are unable to provide a full-blown benefit package to employees, the CADR+ program satisfies 75% of a family’s medical needs for $.05-$.10 per hour (for a full-time employee). Because the program is so affordable, many businesses are also finding that it’s a powerful way to reward loyal part-time and/or seasonal employees.

03/10/2016

Enrolling in the Teladoc Program
Businesses that choose to enroll in the Teladoc no co-pay no deductible program need to sign a Business Service Agreement, complete and sign an ACH Authorization Form, and provide employee census information.
The Business Service Agreement summarizes the services to be provided by Teladoc. Although paper billing is possible, ACH payments are preferred by Teladoc and by most of their customers. New business customers are also asked to complete a simple Excel spreadsheet, one that contains basic employee census information. Once this information has been provided by the new business customer, Call A Doctor Plus, Teladoc’s plan administrator partner, does the heavy-lifting for the customer’s HR staff.
Following enrollment, employees who have been provided the coverage by their employers, or individual families electing their own stand-alone coverage, are then contacted by Teladoc and follow the same simple steps to prepare for a physician consultation. The primary enrollee will set-up the family account, and designate up to 5 additional family members to participate in the program.
Each of those family member participants will then be asked to provide their medical history over the HIPAA compliant encrypted computer network. The medical history information provided this way is similar to the clipboard and checklist process that one goes through when visiting a new physician for the first time. If the Teladoc enrollee provides the name and contact information for their Primary Care Physician (P*P), a copy of the consultation report will be forwarded to the P*P subsequent to the patient/physician consultation.

03/10/2016

Teladoc for start-ups and young businesses
With a Return on Investment (ROI) as high as 400% and an employee utilization rate in excess of 30%, the CADR+ no co-pay wellness program that we have been offering our clients is by far the most affordable and most meaningful benefit program that I have ever seen.
A critical factor of success for start-up and young businesses is their ability to attract and retain talented employees. At the same time, most of these businesses are not in a position to provide an employer subsidized benefit program. Enter Teladoc, the dominant player in the telehealth industry.
Teladoc has been offering 24/7/365 access to board-certified physicians from anywhere in the country since 2002. Enrollment in the program is on a “per family” basis, and includes the subscriber and up to 5 additional family members. Teladoc physicians can and do prescribe frequently needed medications, and subscribers also can access discounts on a number of additional programs through the WellCard that is included with enrollment.
Several times each week, I meet with small business owners that have grown to the point where they’re ready to stick their toes in the benefit waters. Without exception, I recommend that they first offer the CADR+ no co-pay model of the Teladoc tele-physician program. Small businesses can provide the benefit to employees and their families for less than $.09/hour for a full-time employee. The low cost of the program also makes it a very viable benefit option for restaurants, landscapers, custodial companies, and other businesses that employ a high ratio of seasonal and/or part-time employees.
The American Medical Association estimates that 75% of physician consultations can be handled remotely through programs like the one offered by Teladoc. Subscribing family members can also reside in different locations. Therefore, a husband and wife could be residing in one location, kids away at college in other locations, and parents/brothers/sisters in yet another location, and all participate in the program for one low monthly fee.
For start-ups and young businesses, participation in the Teladoc program is a meaningful start down the long and expanding path of benefit programs, and an excellent employee recruitment and retention tool.

03/10/2016

Teladoc in the Telehealth Marketplace
As mentioned in previous blogs, Home Depot, Penske, T-Mobile, Rent-A-Center, and numerous other well-known national corporations have successfully used the Teladoc tele-physician program to reduce employee claims-related medical expenditures for more than a decade. Teladoc was founded in 2002, and the simple reasons for their phenomenal growth are as follows:
The American Medical Association estimates that 75% or more of a family’s medical needs can be satisfied remotely. The Top-10 Teladoc consultations are for sinus problems, urinary tract infections, pink eye, bronchitis, upper respiratory infections, nasal congestion, allergies, flu, cough, and ear infections.
A remote tele-physician consultation is far cheaper than an Emergency Room visit, Urgent Care Center visit, or a Primary Care Physician office visit. Businesses providing the program to employees save on claims costs. Employees/individuals enrolled in the program save on co-pays and deductibles.
You can’t beat the convenience of the program. Speaking to a board-certified physician from the comfort of home beats trudging to an ER in the middle of the night. Many customers enroll in the Teladoc program for the convenience of being able to access physicians and pharmacies while traveling.
For one surprisingly low monthly membership fee, up to 6 family members can participate in the program, and those family members need not reside under the same roof.
It’s not uncommon for families to have telehealth coverage of some sort in their current company-provided or individual ACA plan, but rarely if ever is it used. Usually, individuals need to dig through their plan paperwork to determine if they have they coverage. Once they do, they determine that their coverage comes with a hefty $40-$50 co-pay at the time of the consultation. Further, that coverage is limited to the individual, and does not extend to 5 additional family members. The Teladoc model that we have put in place overcomes those problems, and is happily embraced by our business and individual customers.

02/11/2016

Individual families and Teladoc
Once enrolled, families are encouraged to take advantage of the many features of the Teladoc program. The monthly membership fee allows for the participation of the subscriber and up to 5 additional family members, and family members need not reside under the same roof.
In preparation for a physician consultation, each family member will be requested to provide their medical history. The process is the online equivalent of completing the checklist and questionnaire that one is handed on a clipboard when visiting a new physician for the first time. Teladoc’s online encryption tools are the best in the industry and satisfy all HIPAA requirements, so subscribers can rest assured that all medical history information provided will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Although most Teladoc physician consultations are handled via a telephone chat, desktop/laptop or mobile application consultations can be arranged as well. Teladoc physicians are all dual certified (board and NCQA), and can be accessed 24/7/365 from anywhere in the country. After requesting a consultation, patients can expect to hear from a physician within 10-15 minutes. The Teladoc physician will have reviewed the patient’s medical record prior to the call, so the patient can expect to “hit the ground running” from the start of the consultation.
At the time participants provide their medical history, they will have been asked to also provide contact information for their Primary Care Provider (P*P). After the consultation with a Teladoc physician, a copy of the consultation report is forwarded to the patient’s P*P. Therefore, subscribers should not think of Teladoc physicians as being competitors to their P*P, but rather as working in partnership with their P*P to maximize the patient’s wellness in the most efficient way. http://www.tele-medico.com/business-customers/

01/27/2016

The Case for Tele-physician Services
Today, tele-physician consultations account for 4% of physician consultations nationwide, and that number is expected to grow to 40% over the next two years. An overwhelming majority (89%) of healthcare executives in the United States believe that telemedicine will dramatically transform the industry. Why? For businesses and individuals, telemedicine satisfies both accessibility and affordability needs.
Accessibility.
In a recent speech to healthcare executives, Jason Gorevic, the CEO of Teladoc, described it this way:
“People have been saying, I’m sick and I need to SEE a doctor. With the advent of telemedicine, people are starting to say, I’m sick and I need to get medical care.”
Most Primary Care Physicians (P*Ps) are in their offices during normal business hours, while many patients are in need of services in the evening, or on weekends and holidays. Nationally, the average wait time to see a P*P is 18.5 days. As more and more physicians retire and Obamacare increases the demand for physician services, the average wait time to see a P*P is expected to get far worse.
Contrast that against a Teladoc consultation, where subscribers can access board-certified physicians in 10-15 minutes, 24/7/365, from anywhere in the country. In addition, patients have the option of accessing Teladoc physicians by phone, mobile application, or online. The AMA currently estimates that 75% of all physician consultations can be handled remotely.
Therefore, not surprisingly, Teladoc has become to telemedicine what Amazon is to shopping/shipping and Expedia is to the travel.
Affordability.
Businesses that incorporate telemedicine into their wellness program have seen a significant reduction in claims costs. Simply stated, telemedicine consultations are far cheaper than ER visits ($1,029/average), Urgent Care Center visits ($350/average), or physician office visits ($153/average).
Individual families are also reaping significant savings as a result of their membership in the CADR+ program. Even those who are currently enrolled in what they consider to be a “good” medical program are frequently faced with P*P co-pays of $30-$50 per visit. The CADR+ program has no co-pays and no deductibles, and allows for 6 family members to participate in the program for one low monthly membership fee. So, in addition to the convenience of being able to speak to a physician remotely, families would save on their annual co-pay expenditures if each family member uses the program once per year.
It is common for most tele-physician providers to collect a $40-$50 co-pay from patients at the time of service. When you are sick in the middle of the night, the last thing you want to be burdened by is having to produce credit card information before speaking to a doctor. After carefully vetting our tele-physican program options, we chose to align ourselves with Teladoc and Call A Doctor Plus (CADR+). Teladoc is far and away the largest and best physician provider in the country, and CADR+ offers the industry leading no co-pay program (resulting in utilization of 32% vs. less than 10% for the competition).
Not surprisingly, Teladoc has a 99% business customer retention rate, and a 95% “very favorable” individual member satisfaction rating.