Patients use the service by logging on to participating health plans’ Web sites. Doctors hold 10-minute appointments, which can be extended for a fee, and can file prescriptions and view patients’ medical histories through the system. American Well is working with HealthVault, Microsoft’s electronic medical records service, and ActiveHealth Management, a subsidiary of Aetna, which scans patients’ medical history for gaps in their previous care and alerts doctors during their American Well appointment.
The Hawaiian health plan’s 700,000 members pay $10 to use the service. The insurer also offers the service to uninsured patients for $45. Health plans pay American Well a license fee per member and a transaction fee of about $2 each time a patient sees a doctor.
An interesting idea that raises a few obvious concerns. The program is intended to increase health care access to the uninsured, but how many of the uninsured also have broadband access? And would a “check up” be as effective via webcam? On the other hand, a follow up visit for routine care would be much cheaper via webpage than in office visit.
Either way, I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this type of health care.
