New Primary Care Model Delivers Greater Care Access & Health Engagement
Fills Preventive & Chronic Care Gaps with Two-thirds of New Members Lacking Regular Primary Care
PURCHASE, NY, Oct. 06, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Teladoc Health, the global leader in whole-person virtual care, today announced that its primary care service, Primary360, is now available to commercial health plans, employers and other organizations that sponsor health care for individuals and families in the United States. Primary360 solves persistent challenges in access to high quality health care for millions of individuals, especially those who do not have an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider.
Primary360 pilot programs have shown that two-thirds of members previously lacked traditional primary care and are now benefitting from longitudinal relationships with physician-led care teams. Access to high quality prevention and screening via Primary360 has helped members detect earlier and treat previously undiagnosed chronic diseases. Early results with year one members show one in four chronic conditions identified for Primary360 members have been new diagnoses of common disorders such as diabetes and hypertension.
“Primary360 has the unique power to drive the unified health care experience that consumers are demanding by removing longstanding barriers like access, cost and convenience,” said Donna Boyer, chief product officer at Teladoc Health. “Primary360 gives people greater control over their healthcare experience without losing the personal connection they seek – all from a brand that they trust.”
Primary360 members have cited the service’s connectivity to specialty care, especially mental health support, as a major advantage of the whole-person health offering. In fact, preliminary findings from the first year also show that more than 50 percent of Primary360 members take advantage of at least one other Teladoc Health service and nearly 30 percent use two connected services, like mental health care, urgent care, dermatology and nutrition.
Teladoc Health has received a positive initial response to Primary360 in the marketplace and the role it plays in delivering comprehensive, virtual-first benefits. Several Fortune 1000 employers are live today on the new primary care service, with other large employers and health plans such as Aetna launching nationwide in early 2022.
Primary360 has been substantially built out since it was initially launched as a pilot two years ago. In addition to their Teladoc primary care physician, members have access to a care team offering a range of services including guidance for an individual’s care, and navigation to in-person, high-quality in-network providers. For ongoing management of health and wellness needs, consumers receive a personalized care plan that includes reminders and nudges for follow-ups and action items.
Members are also benefiting from speed to access.
- Teladoc physicians are currently available within a week for a new patient visit in all 50 states, as compared to the average wait time of roughly a month for a new primary care physician.
- Members are spending more time with Teladoc Health providers at an average of nearly an hour (54 minutes) for new patient visits that include comprehensive, evidence-based prevention and screening.
“Primary360 becomes the fully realized vision of the primary care physician and care team acting as the quarterback of an individual’s care in an entirely reimagined model where all necessary resources come together for the member,” added Bimal Shah, MD, chief medical officer at Teladoc Health. “We are perfectly positioned to deliver integrated care where Primary360 is both a hub for our full suite of virtual offerings and can be paired with a hybrid, in-person experience when medically appropriate. Primary360 knocks down the historical challenges to primary care access, so we can finally connect people with prevention and condition management, empowering them to live their healthiest lives.”
Teladoc Health data shows that as many as four out of five adults do not have a strong relationship with a primary care physician. An Annals of Family Medicine study estimated that if everyone in the United States had a primary care physician, the annual savings would top $62 billion dollars.
About Teladoc Health
Teladoc Health empowers all people everywhere to live their healthiest lives by transforming the healthcare experience. As the world leader in whole-person virtual care, Teladoc Health uses proprietary health signals and personalized interactions to drive better health outcomes across the full continuum of care, at every stage in a person’s health journey. Ranked best in KLAS for Virtual Care Platforms in 2020 and #1 among direct-to-consumer telehealth providers in the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Telehealth Satisfaction Study, Teladoc Health leverages more than a decade of expertise and data-driven insights to meet the growing virtual care needs of consumers and healthcare professionals. For more information, please visit www.teladochealth.com or follow @TeladocHealth on Twitter.
Teladoc Health Media Contact:
Carolyn Edwards
pr@teladochealth.com
321-795-1952
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/49820766-036b-4b8a-a066-f4bb44c7cf75
