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.
