Doctor On Demand, a San Francisco, CA-based virtual care provider, announced it is the first nationwide, full-service telehealth provider to expand its medical services to include Medicare Part B coverage following the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expansion of telehealth services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Medicare Part B population consists largely of Americans over the age of 65, many of whom are considered at heightened risk during the pandemic.
Why It Matters
This groundbreaking expansion makes its telehealth services available to 33 million Medicare Part B beneficiaries improving access to high-quality, convenient healthcare for beneficiaries across all 50 states. Through Doctor On Demand, beneficiaries are able to easily connect with a board-certified physician of their choice over secure live video from home, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Beneficiaries can access consistent medical care for 90 percent of the most common conditions treated by both primary care and urgent care facilities, including diagnosis and testing of COVID-19; typical ailments like infections, rashes, cold and flu; ongoing care of chronic disease like asthma and COPD, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and thyroid issues; and for prescription refills. Patients can see the same physician time and time again, building a trusted, personal relationship via video. Prior to CMS’s expansion of telemedicine to those with Medicare Part B coverage, Doctor On Demand had already seen rapid adoption of its virtual care services within this demographic, with patient registrations for the 65 and over age group growing by nearly 150 percent in March.
“We’re proud to bring high-quality, compassionate care to Medicare beneficiaries who are especially vulnerable at this time,” said Hill Ferguson, CEO of Doctor On Demand. “We mobilized quickly to care for this population following the CMS update, and are uniquely positioned to scale quickly to meet anticipated demand.”
Waiving Copays During COVID-19
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Doctor On Demand can be accessed through a smartphone, tablet or computer by downloading the Doctor On Demand app from the App Store or Google Play, or from a web browser. To register, beneficiaries enter a valid email address, Medicare ID number, and a phone number. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Doctor On Demand is waiving the copay for Medicare Part B beneficiaries, as permitted by government policy.
Source: HIT Consultant
