CVS expands telehealth capabilities with three providers

WOONSOCKET – CVS Health is expanding its approach to telehealth by working with three different telehealth providers, the company announced Wednesday.
Telehealth is the use of electronic information and telecommunications to support long-distance clinical and home health care, education and administration.
CVS said in a press release it will work with American Well, Doctor On Demand and Teladoc to explore how these direct-to-consumer telehealth providers, retail pharmacy and retail clinic providers to improve patient care.
MinuteClinic data recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine showed that overall, 95 percent of patients were highly satisfied with the quality of care they received, the ease with which telehealth technology was integrated into the visit, and convenience of their care, said Dr. Andrew Sussman, executive vice president and associate chief medical officer, CVS Health, and president, MinuteClinic.
“As we examine additional ways to utilize telehealth to improve and expand patient care, we have the opportunity to partner with telehealth organizations in the care of patients at home,” Sussman added. “In doing so, CVS Health will add value for patients, clients and health plans by improving access to low-cost quality care.”
Some of the new developments CVS is piloting include making telehealth physician care accessible through CVS Health digital services. CVS Health also is exploring enabling MinuteClinic providers to consult with telehealth physicians to expand the scope of care offered at MinuteClinic.
MinuteClinic already provides many telehealth services to patients in CVS retail stores, the company said.
“With the increased demand for patient care anticipated in future years as a result of the expansion of coverage through the Affordable Care Act, the primary care physician shortage, aging of the population and epidemic of chronic disease, telehealth gives us the opportunity to offer high-quality care to an expanded group of patients in a variety of convenient and cost-effective locations,” Sussman said.

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