On Tuesday, Anthem Blue Cross announced a first-of-its-kind way for Spanish-speakers to see a doctor via smartphone or tablet called Cuidado Médico on the LiveHealth Online mobile app.
It’s just the latest example of the growing telehealth trend that’s sweeping through the nation’s businesses, government health care programs, and insurers.
Telehealth represents an important development for the 20 percent of Americans who live in rural areas with shortages of physicians and health care specialists.
By some estimates, the broader adoption of telehealth services could save the United States as much as $4.28 billion on health care spending per year while improving patient care and outcomes.
With Cuidado Médico, Anthem Blue Cross is removing two barriers — access and language — at the same time.
“Cuidado Médico on LiveHealth Online is just one of many ways Anthem is making getting quality health care more convenient for our Spanish speaking members,” said Brian Ternan, president of Anthem Blue Cross. “We all know how important it is to talk to a doctor in the language in which you’re most comfortable.
Anthem offers online visits as a covered benefit under its health plan, meaning the cost of an online visit is the same or less than a primary office visit.
California residents who do not have health care coverage can also accessCuidado Médico on LiveHealth Online in Spanish for $49 per visit, Anthem said.
California is one of 32 states and the District of Columbia that have parity laws for telehealth services, which require insurers to cover services provided through telehealth to the same extent as those services are covered in person.
Telehealth could be an increasingly valuable life- and cost-saving mechanism for the federal government, too.
In 2015, the Veterans Association (VA) said it conducted 2.14 million telehealth visits for 677,000 veterans — or 12 percent of all vets. That resulted in a 54-percent reduction in hospital bed days, 32-percent decline in hospital admissions, and 35-percent drop in pysch bed days of care,according to the VA.
Telehealth is seen by many as a vital tool to treating chronic diseases, which affect one million Americans and account for about 75 percent of health care costs.
And for insurers like Anthem Blue Cross, it’s also viewed as a convenient way to communicate face-to-face with a doctor minor ailments such as colds, sinus infections, aches, and sore throats.
“LiveHealth Online represents a true shift in healthcare delivery by using technology to make healthcare easier and more consumer friendly,” said John Jesser, Anthem Blue Cross vice president of provider engagement strategy.
[Source: STATE OF REFORM]
