Why isn't your company adding Telehealth as a medical benefit?

Scott Holcomb
May 1, 2015
3 min read

Imagine you wake up one day and have flu like symptoms? I know it's the last thing you want to think about but indulge me.

The last thing you want to do is take a day off work, drive across town and sit in a doctor’s office all for a non- emergency medical issue. (If your doctor can even see you)

But wait, you remember your company just rolled out a new medical benefit. A Telehealth or Telemedicine company that you could contact and receive a video or phone consultation!

Yes, you remembered it gives you access to board certified doctors via phone or video and can treat many medical conditions including:

Cold and Flu symptoms
Allergies
Bronchitis
UTI
Respiratory Infection
Sinus Problems

Now, you quickly access the information online and set up an account right from your bed. (dramtic) Then you are able to call and receive a call back within 15-20 minutes via phone or video.

Talking to the doctor he or she is able to diagnose you with a cold or flu and is able to send in a prescription for a Z pack to your pharmacy.

You are probably already starting to feel better am I right? Why? Because you don’t have to take a day off of work and you are able to pick up your prescription on lunch or on the way home.

Does this sound too good to be actually true? It's not...

Telehealth is a convenient way to access quality medical care. It does not take the place of your primary care physician but is an added medical benefit that gives you an affordable alternative to ER and Urgent care visits.

What is Telehealth?

Derived from the Greek word for "afar," telemedicine, or telehealth is the use of technology to diagnose and treat patients remotely.

While the concept has been around for decades, the use of telemedicine has become increasingly common in hospitals and physician's offices.

Why are companies adding Telehealth?

Bottom line it’s saving them money and reducing cost by eliminating urgent care and ER visits for non emergency issues.

At a time when employees are asked to contribute more to their healthcare, Telehealth enables you to offer an additional benefit – one that gives them convenient, timely and affordable access to healthcare, 24/7/365

Are your employees ready for phone and video consultations?

64 percent of Americans would be willing to see a doctor via video, according to a survey from American Well.
Switching from in-person to telehealth office visits when appropriate could save U.S. companies up to $6 billion a year, according to a Towers Watson analysis.
17 million say they would change primary care doctors for the availability of telehealth visits, American Well

The percentage of healthcare employers offering telemedicine is expected to increase by 68% by next year, from 22% in 2014 to 37% in 2015.

- Source: Towers Watson

Here are 3 Case Studies from Teladoc the 1st and largest provider of telemedicine in the United States. Each case shows exactly how companies are saving money using telehealth.

Penske Truck Leasing - the leading global transportation services provider servicing customers from 1,000 locations in North America save $335,326.00 in 12 months by offering Teladoc.
Rent a Center – A large retailer with over 12,300 employees implemented Teladoc and after 6,906 consultations they where able to save over $1MM dollars.
Oncor – Is a large electricity company with more than 3,000 employees that delivers its services to 10MM homes and businesses nationwide. They offered Teladoc to employees and dependents participating in health plan benefits and saved $152,769 in 24 months.

Interested in offering Telehealth to your employees?

Accurate Insurance Solutions a Tampa employee benefits / HR consulting firm offers Telehealth to its clients at the best rate available, without a consultation fee.

Our relationship with the largest and 1st provider of Telehealth allows us to provide the service and introduce it to our existing and new clients, which has been widely adopted.

Our goal is to partner with companies interested in seeking cost savings while providing quality health care that will make your employees happy and increase productivity.