Urgent Care Take Note: Insurers Are Warming to Telemedicine

Urgent Care Take Note: Insurers Are Warming to Telemedicine

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is the latest big insurer to start encouraging telemedicine for plan members with relatively minor complaints. As of July 1, BCBS will be working with American Well to offer the service to employers with fully insured and PPO policies. Plans see the new technology as a way to reduce costs—mainly by keeping patients out of the emergency room, which aligns perfectly with the urgent care approach—and to meet consumer …

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Urgent Care Operators Look to Telehealth to See More Patients

Urgent Care Operators Look to Telehealth to See More Patients

Six months after it started offering video visits through Doctor on Demand and American Well, UnitedHealthcare says it expects to “see” 20 million patients that way by the end of 2016. More than half of the visits, to date, have been for respiratory issues. Statistically, the average user is a 31-year-old female. UnitedHealthcare says the vast majority of employers it covers like the idea, but have concerns about how many of their workers will actually …

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