What You Should Know:
– Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) announces it is expanding its virtual care portfolio by offering virtual primary care to some midsize and large employer groups in Illinois and Texas starting January 1, 2023.
– HCSC’s virtual primary care program is powered by Teladoc Health, which supplements HCSC’s network of providers to increase convenient, timely access to care.
Virtual Primary Care Offering
The virtual primary care model is designed to help employers with employees scattered across diverse geographies get timely and convenient access to a trusted online care team – all while managing health care outcomes and costs. Members can develop a relationship and keep seeing the same Teladoc provider for their ongoing primary care needs if they choose. The physician they select can provide annual exams, preventive care, diagnosis and treatment for health concerns and management of chronic conditions. The providers are available for phone or video primary care visits six days a week. They can write prescriptions and refer members to in-person care, when necessary. The doctors are part of a virtual care team that includes a registered nurse and a medical assistant. Members receive a welcome kit with a blood pressure cuff and heart rate monitor so they can provide vital data to their healthcare team.
HCSC Virtual Primary Care Features
The new virtual primary care offering includes time-sensitive access to additional specialty services, especially those in highest demand:
– Virtual urgent care: This on-demand service can be used to assess, diagnose and treat everyday issues such as a cold, flu or sinus infection. Available via phone or video 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
– Virtual behavioral health: Therapy, counseling and psychiatry, as needed, can be used to address stress, anxiety and other behavioral health conditions. Available via phone or video 7 a.m. – 9 p.m. local time seven days a week, excluding federal holidays.
– Virtual dermatology: Members upload images and explain their concerns via an asynchronous digital platform and receive a reply within 48 business hours with a diagnosis or request for additional information.
