Health Concierge & Teledoc
CoreSource Introduces Health ConciergeSM and Teladoc® Services
In late August and early September, CoreSource introduced two new cost-saving services that can greatly help group members avoid needless emergency room visits, get professional help in a timely manner, compare hospital out-of-pocket costs and better understand commonly prescribed medications. These services, Health Concierge and Teladoc at www.teledoc.com, are currently available to employer groups.
Health Concierge online ‘Consumer Guidance Tools’
Health Concierge is a member’s personal online guide to smart healthcare decisions and is now available to every plan for new and renewal groups. Powered by WebMD, this application gives members health guidance from one of the most trusted sources of medical information on the web.
The Health Concierge information is authoritative and its guidance is personal. Results are automatically based on a person’s age, gender, location and health plan to create decision paths specific to the individual and topic searched. Health Concierge is available to be placed in the client and member portal, and members can access it through the “Consumer Guidance Tools” link.
Some of the Health Concierge interactive features provide information on:
- Out-of-pocket costs for a procedure, test or visit based on hospital providers
- Hospital quality reports for various services and treatments
- What questions to ask the doctor if diagnosed with a certain condition
- Which medical services to expect when diagnosed with a particular condition
- The most commonly prescribed medications and their costs for specific conditions
- Drug comparisons and interactions with other drugs
- WebMD’s news, articles and research results
Health Concierge helps members by offering the personalized support helpful to making wise healthcare decisions, improving their health and spending their healthcare dollars more wisely—all of which means more cost control for employer clients.
Medical doctor visits available online or over the phone through Teladoc
Workplace telemedicine is on the rise, and CoreSource now offers employer clients a chance to elect to purchase such telehealth services for their members via Teladoc. Sometimes it’s difficult for a member to see his or her primary care physician, and may have a condition that doesn’t really warrant an urgent care or emergency room visit. Note that 85 percent of ER visits are the result of someone not being able to wait to see a regular medical provider, and that 80 percent of ER visits are due to lack of access to other providers.
When using Teladoc, members receive a telephone or videoconference* visit (available on most computers and smartphones) with a board-certified medical doctor, discuss their symptoms, and can even have the doctor call-in a prescription** at the member’s local pharmacy, if necessary. Teladoc automatically files the doctor’s visit claim with CoreSource. A member’s copay for such a visit will be dependent on their specific employee-sponsored plan, but net pricing is $38 per exam, with pricing at $40 starting in 2014. Once an employer elects to cover group members with the Teladoc service, access to Teladoc will be available to those members through Teledoc's client and member online portal at www.teledoc.com.
Teladoc comprises a national network of U.S. board-certified doctors available on-demand 24/7. Teladoc is there when a member needs care right away, and also when on vacation, a business trip, or for children away at college, saving them money by avoiding expensive urgent care or ER visits. Common reasons for a member to access Teladoc may be for conditions or diseases such as sinus problems, urinary tract infections, pink eye, bronchitis, colds, flu, cough and ear infections.
Here’s a testimony from a member named Ann: “I was at work not feeling well but didn’t want to leave work. So I decided to call Teladoc. The doctor called me back in 30 minutes. I spoke with him for about 15 minutes, and he wrote me a prescription that I was able to pick up on my way home from work at my local pharmacy! It was very convenient. Teladoc saved me money, and I didn’t have to miss time from work.”
For more information on how Teledoc works, visit the Teledoc page under the Brokers/Clients ice cube on the Igloo: https://intra.trustmarkins.com/intranet/CoreStar/LiteratureCatalog/120.htm
*Not available in all states.
**Not all types of medications can be prescribed.