Telehealth: A Low Cost, Convenient Benefit Offering By Katie Morris, Director of Employee Benefits, VGM Group, Inc.
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rior to COVID-19 turning our world and schedules on their heads, we constantly had that hustle and rush to get everywhere—work, school, workouts, lunch dates, practices—the last thing you needed was to have something slow you down like a sore throat. Now with the limited direct contact due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has increased in prominence, with the biggest selling point being that you can visit with a doctor and receive new prescriptions and refills without leaving your home. Not only does this allow people to avoid the exposure of the waiting rooms and hospitals, it gives employees the flexibility they’ve been looking for all along, making it a low cost, convenient benefit to add to your company offerings.
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Telehealth options are perfect for common conditions and less severe symptoms like the common cold or seasonal allergies.
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What Is Telehealth? Adding telehealth as an option allows employees to access a doctor and, if needed, a prescription on the go via their laptop, phone, or tablet without stepping foot in an actual medical facility. While telehealth options are not to be used for catastrophic or life-threating situations (e.g., shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest pains), they are the perfect option for common conditions and less severe symptoms such as rash, common cold, flu and seasonal allergies, headaches (including migraines), heartburn, and more.
Emergency Room Visit
$1,000
How It Works Depending on the telehealth service, a visit could consist of a questionnaire with a follow-up call or text, with some services requiring video chat capabilities. Typical visits are around 15 minutes with a potential follow-up. The options are endless—there are even some telehealth services that offer mental health assistance. Additionally, some Employee Assistance Programs are going virtual as well, which allows those visits to be more convenient and accessible for employees. Types of Telehealth Options and Cost There are many different telehealth options out there. Some are linked to a specific health insurance company and some are private pay through local hospitals or online companies. Regardless of the type of telehealth option you choose, it’s a winwin for employees and employers for its cost and convenience. Typically, the cost of a telehealth visit is under $75 even for private-pay options. If it is linked to the company’s health insurance, the copay is usually low and may even be free. There are other savings capabilities for the company, too—self-funded and fully insured health plans benefit from offering telehealth options since the cost for the visit to the plan is much less than your typical visit to the emergency room, primary care physician, or an urgent care facility. Typical primary care physician visits cost around $175$200, and the middle-of-the-night ER visit for an ear infection could cost over $1,000 for the plan.
Physician Visit $175-200
VGM Playbook: Technology and the Patient Care Continuum
Teleheath Visit
$75
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