Tele-Medico

Tele-physician industry:
According to the National Business Group on Health, 74% of large employers are expected to offer a tele-physician program in 2016 vs. 48% in 2015 and 28% in 2014.
77% of consultations occur from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST. Peak period noon-3:00 PM EST.
75% of consultations occur Monday-Friday, and 25% occur Saturday-Sunday.
Utilization by age: 31-45 (38%), 46-65 (27%), 19-30 (19%), under 19 (15%), all other (1%).
Utilization by gender: female (61%), male (39%).

Enrolling in the Teladoc Program
Businesses that choose to enroll in the Teladoc no co-pay no deductible program need to sign a Business Service Agreement, complete and sign an ACH Authorization Form, and provide employee census information.
The Business Service Agreement summarizes the services to be provided by Teladoc. Although paper billing is possible, ACH payments are preferred by Teladoc and by most of their customers. New business customers are also asked to complete a simple Excel spreadsheet, one that contains basic employee census information. Once this information has been provided by the new business customer, Call A Doctor Plus, Teladoc’s plan administrator partner, does the heavy-lifting for the customer’s HR staff.
Following enrollment, employees who have been provided the coverage by their employers, or individual families electing their own stand-alone coverage, are then contacted by Teladoc and follow the same simple steps to prepare for a physician consultation. The primary enrollee will set-up the family account, and designate up to 5 additional family members to participate in the program.
Each of those family member participants will then be asked to provide their medical history over the HIPAA compliant encrypted computer network. The medical history information provided this way is similar to the clipboard and checklist process that one goes through when visiting a new physician for the first time. If the Teladoc enrollee provides the name and contact information for their Primary Care Physician (P*P), a copy of the consultation report will be forwarded to the P*P subsequent to the patient/physician consultation.

Teladoc for start-ups and young businesses
With a Return on Investment (ROI) as high as 400% and an employee utilization rate in excess of 30%, the CADR+ no co-pay wellness program that we have been offering our clients is by far the most affordable and most meaningful benefit program that I have ever seen.
A critical factor of success for start-up and young businesses is their ability to attract and retain talented employees. At the same time, most of these businesses are not in a position to provide an employer subsidized benefit program. Enter Teladoc, the dominant player in the telehealth industry.
Teladoc has been offering 24/7/365 access to board-certified physicians from anywhere in the country since 2002. Enrollment in the program is on a “per family” basis, and includes the subscriber and up to 5 additional family members. Teladoc physicians can and do prescribe frequently needed medications, and subscribers also can access discounts on a number of additional programs through the WellCard that is included with enrollment.
Several times each week, I meet with small business owners that have grown to the point where they’re ready to stick their toes in the benefit waters. Without exception, I recommend that they first offer the CADR+ no co-pay model of the Teladoc tele-physician program. Small businesses can provide the benefit to employees and their families for less than $.09/hour for a full-time employee. The low cost of the program also makes it a very viable benefit option for restaurants, landscapers, custodial companies, and other businesses that employ a high ratio of seasonal and/or part-time employees.
The American Medical Association estimates that 75% of physician consultations can be handled remotely through programs like the one offered by Teladoc. Subscribing family members can also reside in different locations. Therefore, a husband and wife could be residing in one location, kids away at college in other locations, and parents/brothers/sisters in yet another location, and all participate in the program for one low monthly fee.
For start-ups and young businesses, participation in the Teladoc program is a meaningful start down the long and expanding path of benefit programs, and an excellent employee recruitment and retention tool.