Employers are coming on board with telemedicine now that they can see how these services can reduce absenteeism and cut healthcare costs. And it isn’t just tech startups or big city companies embracing telemedicine. In Texas, the Fort Bend Independent School District now offers employees 24/7 access to healthcare using a service called Teledoc, which offers virtual visits for a $40 co-pay. This service allows employees of the district to access healthcare after hours, when their schedule doesn’t allow a doctor visit, on vacation, for second opinions, or for lab results. Top diagnoses made by Teledoc include sinus problems, sore throat, urinary tract infections, pinkeye, bronchitis, and other upper respiratory infections.
5. Media Celebrities Are Endorsing Telemedicine
Talk show celebrity Dr. Phil McGraw and his son started Doctor on Demand in 2013 and touted the service recently at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. McGraw told USA Today, “With Doctor on Demand, you don’t have to get dressed, you don’t have to wait two weeks for an appointment, you don’t have to sit in a waiting room where everyone’s sick. You push a button and get it dealt with right there.” So far, the smartphone app for Doctor on Demand has been downloaded over a million times, and the service recently incorporated some mental health services through the addition of psychologists. The company has a network of 1,400 physicians and 300 psychologists, and charges $40 for a medical visit, or $50 for a 25-minute session with a psychologist.
With celebrity backing, telemedicine could be on the minds of millions more people in 2015.
6. Telemedicine Is Attracting Significant Venture Capital
Late last year, Teledoc, the company used by the Fort Bend school district for telemedicine services, raised $50 million in venture capital from Jafco Ventures and other investors. In its regulatory filing last September, the company reported revenues of between $25 million and $100 million annually. The infusion of venture capital indicates that investors and startups in the telemedicine field are anxious to be first and set the narrative as telemedicine becomes mainstream for consumers and healthcare providers. The company contracts with insurance companies and employers to provide telemedicine services, which can be delivered via phone, online video, mobile devices, or through a network of HealthSpot kiosks.
Conclusion
All signs indicate that telemedicine will make significant strides in 2015, becoming more commonplace and familiar to more ordinary consumers. Legislators are realizing the importance of bringing laws up to date so that physicians and patients can take advantage of the many benefits that telemedicine confers. Telemedicine is gaining traction among ordinary doctors and patients, and is no longer considered futuristic or impractical. It is drawing interest from a wide range of employers, and is attracting major venture capital infusions. More importantly, telemedicine is gaining the support of those who use it and benefit from it: doctors and patients. In fact, the more people learn about telemedicine, the more enthusiastic support for this time- and money-saving technology becomes.
We’re excited to see the positive changes brought about by the expansion of telemedicine. For over 15 years, AccessRx.com has used the power of the internet to work with US-licensed pharmacists to deliver name brand prescription medications to over half a million customers, so we know how much of a positive difference new telemedicine technologies can make in people’s lives.