Virtual doctors, once use only for very secluded areas, has become part of the solution to control health care costs. Employers are now using virtual doctors for their employees - connected right in their office. It's all about lowering health care costs and making employees more productive.
This is a quick and facinating read in Inc. magazine about new virtual doctor resources available to employers. The employers are not only giving their employees access to quality care, they are saving the employees time and money by not having to take off of work to drive to the doctor and then sit and wait.
Full article in Inc. Magazine: Point, Click, Cough: The Benefits of Virtual Doctor Visits - For Employers and Employees Alike.
Virtual Doctor Services:
Remote doctor services work in different ways and have varying fee structures. Here's how some of them are set up.
MeMD
Cost: Employers pay $1-$2 per employee each month, plus an average of $35 per visit.
How it works: Employees complete an online medical-history form and can then visit with an online doctor from any computer.
NuPhysicia's Medicine at Work
Cost: Employers pay an average of $25 per employee, per month.
How it works: A paramedic is stationed at your office to assist a remote doctor in completing online exams.
MDlive
Cost: Employers pay 75 cents to $1.50 per employee, per month, plus $38 per visit.
How it works: After completing a medical-history form online, employees connect to local doctors via phone or computer.
Teladoc
Cost: Up to $38 per consultation.
How it works: Employees complete an online medical-history form and then request a consultation via phone or computer. A doctor responds within an average of 22 minutes.
