Hundreds of employers are contracting through their health insurers with telehealth programs. The programs give workers 24-hour access to doctors and nurse practitioners, and they cut costs.
WellPoint connects patients to doctors via video calls. A patient and doctor can see each other within minutes, says Bloomberg businessweek.
WellPoint teamed up with Boston based American Well to offer telemed services to 3.5 million of its health-plan subscribers last year.
Telemedicine has increased, in part, because of the Affordable Care Act, which has funneled many patients into a system plagued by physician shortages, and those shortages are increasing.
The use of camera-equipped devices has made remote medical connections easier, and high definition video shows enough detail for diagnoses.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
