Employer Program

What Employers Need to Know

Telemedicine is capturing a lot of attention from employers recently, and with good reason. Medical costs are expected to continue to trend upward in the near future; PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute projects an increase of 6% in 2019. More employers are also implementing consumer-driven healthcare plans (CDHPs), which increase out-of-pocket medical expenses for plan participants. The rise in CDHP use is prompting both employers and employees to look for ways to offset out-of-pocket costs. An overlooked solution is Telemedicine, which is changing the way people seek and get medical advice, diagnoses and prescriptions.

While Telemedicine has been around in one way shape or form for a long time, advances in communication technologies and the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) focus on efficient and cost-effective care have helped reshape this approach to healthcare delivery. Telemedicine has come a long way from connecting patients in far-off places with a doctor possessing a particular expertise. Today, Telemedicine puts a subscriber (i.e., an employee) in touch with a U.S. board-certified physician in their state to treat common ailments such as colds and flu, sinus infections, allergies, pink eye, etc. Telemedicine gives the patient direct access to a doctor 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The consultation can take place by a phone call, email or a web-based video call, and may include discussing symptoms, treatment options and prescriptions. Telemedicine consultations are a supplement for non-emergency treatment and visits to a primary care physician. And best of all, Telemedicine helps make healthcare affordable.

Telemedicine Benefits for Employers

Including Telemedicine as a part of an overall portfolio of group employee benefits has become an important healthcare cost containment tool. For small business who are not able to provide employee healthcare coverage, telemedicine gives employees 24/7/365 access to U.S. Board Certified doctors for an annual cost that is less than a single office visit. Providing valuable benefits like this to employees fosters loyalty and shows them you care, whether the employer or the employee pays the monthly membership fee or it is shared between the two, the group purchase power of the employer makes the participation decision easy.

For larger business who do provide employee healthcare coverage, telemedicine reduces office co-pays for employees and claim costs to the employer’s group healthcare plan. In a study of 17,000 telemedicine participants, hospital admissions dropped by 30% and doctor visits were reduced by 60% for a savings of 45% in unnecessary doctor and emergency room visits.

The American Medical Association (AMA) states that 70% of doctor’s office visits can be handled over the phone and 50% of ER visits are non-emergencies. Telemedicine’s savings in claim costs range from $300 per year for a single employee or more than $1,000 per year for a family of four.

Telemedicine Benefits for Employees

As described above, Telemedicine provides a subscriber with quick access to a doctor over the phone, email or video call. Unlike an urgent care center, doctor’s office, or emergency room, there is no waiting for an appointment in a room full of other sick people. Telemedicine has been found to be an efficient route to care—97% of patients are treated in their first dial-in attempt with an average response time of eighteen minutes. When appropriate, the consulting doctor can prescribe a medication and send the prescription to the employee’s preferred pharmacy. This program can often eliminate visits to a primary care doctor, urgent care center, or ER and the high costs associated with those visits.

But it’s important to note that all workers in an organization—those who qualify for group benefits and those who do not—can benefit from using Telemedicine. A Telemedicine program can be bundled into your group medical insurance coverage or offered as a voluntary benefit. For employees who can’t afford to pay the premium for group benefits, or who are part-time, 1099 contract workers, or seasonal, Telemedicine can give them direct access to affordable healthcare.

Telemedicine is not insurance, so access is obtained through a membership not the issuance of a policy which would require an application. Obtaining telemedicine membership is as simple as subscribing to a magazine using basic contact information with no social security number or credit check requirement, and a family membership will cover up to eight dependents sharing the same home address.

Choosing The Right Telemedicine Provider

MyTelemedicine is not just another Telemedicine company. We do provide 24/7 access to a doctor, but we want our clients to utilize our services and tools everyday to help stay healthy. We are your Healthcare Solutions Partner that will provide your clients with innovative and valuable access to healthcare anytime, anywhere. Consider the following criteria when considering a Telemedicine provider for your company:

Are the physicians in the vendor’s Telemedicine offering required to complete a credentialing process?
Is the process of reaching an actual doctor (not a nurse or nurse-practitioner) simple, convenient and fast? Vendors who promise that a caller will get a call back “within a few hours” should be avoided.
Does the vendor offer access via multiple contact channels–phone, email and video conference?
Can the doctor write a prescription when appropriate?
What is the complete cost of the benefit? This is an area where vendors vary greatly. Some Telemedicine vendors charge a monthly per member fee plus a copay for each call made. The vendor may set a monthly limit as to how many calls a member can make. Part of the argument in favor of Telemedicine is to help employees avoid a copay at the doctor’s office. So, look for a Telemedicine vendor who doesn’t require a copay or a maximum monthly call limit. There are only a few quality vendors in the industry that charge an affordable monthly fee and offer unlimited calls per month with no copays.
Does the vendor take a complete survey of the patient’s pertinent medical information upon enrollment and forward the information from each call to the employee’s primary care physician? Information integration is crucial to providing proper care.
Does the vendor record every doctor consultation using HIPAA compliant technology to assure quality and confidentiality of services?
Finally, does the vendor have a history of proven success working with employees and helping employers save money? Ask for proof.

Here are just a few reasons that makes MyTelemedicine different

Proprietary systems built from the ground up
Rigorous physician credentialing
No customer service outsourcing
On-site bi-lingual and medically trained staff
No access or time limits on consultations
Two hour call-back guarantee

Implementing Telemedicine

A successful Telemedicine program begins with changing employee behavior toward accessing medical care. The implementation of a program should include a well-designed employee education and communication campaign on the benefits of using this service and this is the role Optimal teleHealth plays. Key to the success of any employer-based telemedicine program is helping employees take the first step by actually engaging the process and making the first call to the doctor. Optimal teleHealth is your partner and go-to resource for training and education of your employees utilizing both personal engagement and remote instructional tools. This will ensure a successful implementation and put both the employer and the employee in the best position to reap the benefits of Telemedicine.