Telehealth: gaining traction in Western Massachusetts
Posted on September 12, 2016
Health New England was the first health plan in the state to offer telehealth services to members, making Teladoc available to commercial and Be Healthy members in August 2015, and to Medicare Advantage Members in January 2016. Since then, two more health plans – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Harvard Pilgrim – now offer telehealth services to members.
As telehealth gains traction in Western Massachusetts, Health New England would like to emphasize that we always advise our members to consult with their PCPs as the first point of contact for medical concerns. However, in certain situations, Teladoc provides a convenient and cost-effective alternative to the emergency room for non-urgent issues.
Looking back on utilization year-to-date for 2016, 212 members have used Teladoc and the top five diagnoses are: acute sinusitis, acute pharyngitis, acute upper respiratory infection, rash and urinary tract infection. We will continue to provide updates as we gain more experience with Teladoc and we want to thank all of our providers for your support.
