New service brings live healthcare into consumers’ homes
Sunday, January 18, 2009, 1:55 PM | Leave Comment
A service launching in January will make doctors available anytime with a few clicks of your mouse. The technology, from American Well, a Boston-based company, offers physicians consultations via the Internet.
Here is how it will work:
- You go online – or phone into their system – and specify the type of doctor you want.
- You will then select one from a list of available physicians in a specialty who are members of your health plan.
- You begin the consultation
- Members have a copayment
- Nonmembers pay $35 to $45 for 10 minutes
- American Well provides the service through health insurers, but it can be made available to the general public at the insurer’s discretion.
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii now offers the service, and more insurers are expected to provide it this year.
Moral of the story
However this plan gets implemented, it should be transparent and efficient, especially if more and more people are able to afford it.
In my opinion, minimum $35 for 10 minutes is quite expensive. That’s $105 for half-an-hour. Almost all patients, when they go visit a doctor’s office, spend at least a half-hour.
What do you think?
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