The current trends in healthcare are forcing companies to absorb overwhelming premium increases, year after year. Americans are creatures of habit and in order to slow or stop these trends we have to change their behavior. Education and engagement are the keys to successfully bringing about that change. Telemedicine is not new but has been revolutionized. This is the first platform to shift consumers from expensive and inefficient healthcare end point, like Urgent Care and the Emergency room. This centralizes their healthcare options and allows them to receive treatment for acute illnesses without having to incur a cost or take time to travel. Moreover, telemedicine utilization does not impact the overall claims for the company. Telemedicine provides 24/7 access to board certified physicians from almost anywhere in the country. This literally puts healthcare in the palm of your hand and can potentially eliminate 70% of all ER, urgent care, and doctor visits. For those employers that are mandated to provide coverage and thus have premiums that are directly impacted by their claims, adding telemedicine is an inexpensive benefit strategy that will dramatically help with long term cost control.
