MDLIVE plans to hire dozens of employees in Sunrise this year after signing a deal to provide its telehealth services to Cigna members.
Randy Parker, CEO of MDLIVE, said his company has the largest network of telehealth providers in the country, with over 2,000 practitioners in 49 states available to consult patients, whether by Internet connection, secure email or mobile. Founded in 2006, the company currently has 2 million members.
On Tuesday, MDLIVE announced that self-insured employers using Cigna (NYSE: CI) would have access to its telehealth plan on Jan. 1, with signup starting this summer. The key part is that the benefit would be part of Cigna’s regular network, with negotiated rates and co-pays, Parker said.
The cost should be lower than a typical office or urgent care center visit, he added. Doctors, including primary care physicians, pediatric physicians and behavioral health specialists, are available 24/7, Parker said.
“MDLIVE’s telehealth services enable our increasingly mobile and time-constrained customers to schedule a virtual consult with a Board Certified physician and resolve a non-emergency medical issue in less than one hour,” Cigna head of product development Jackie Aube stated in a news release. “It’s a cost-effective and convenient alternative to an office visit with your primary care physician.”
If a member has needs that can’t be met with telehealth, MDLIVE will refer them to the most cost effective provider in their health plan that can best help them, Parker said.
All that extra member volume will mean more employees. Currently with 75 workers in Sunrise, Parker said MDLIVE would hire another 50 to 100 employees over the next year. The wanted positions include software developers for Java and Ruby, in addition to health service center specialists to help members.
MDLIVE keeps patients personal health records using a program it acquired from Practice Communications, founded by MDVIP co-founder Ed Goldman, in June. The Business Journal previously profiled Goldman’s company. Goldman is now chairman of MDLIVE.
Now when members have a telehealth visit, the electronic medical record of their visit it automatically send to their primary care provider and any prescriptions they needed are send to a pre-determined pharmacy.
“We send those documents so you don’t have fragmentation, you have continuity of care,” Parker said. “We will literally redefine how quality health care is available to all.”
Date: April 23, 2013