Innovative service helps deliver WellPoint's mission of making health care more accessible for all Americans
INDIANAPOLIS, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- WellPoint, Inc. (NYSE: WLP), the nation's largest health benefits company by medical membership, today announced that it is collaborating with American Well™ to support and deploy American Well's Online Care platform, which will allow WellPoint to make Online Care services available to members of its affiliated health plans. Online Care enables individuals to access physicians and clinicians via video, secure chat, or phone. The announcement was made during this year's annual America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) conference in Las Vegas.
"WellPoint is committed to helping improve the access of all Americans to quality, affordable health care," said Dijuana Lewis, executive vice president and chief executive officer of WellPoint's Comprehensive Health Solutions business. "We recognize the need for health care to become more accessible and convenient than ever before, especially for individuals living in rural areas. We are pleased to work with American Well in the development of this new option."
The Online Care service will allow members of WellPoint's affiliated health plans to engage in live encounters with primary care and specialty physicians, as well as other clinicians. Members will be able to initiate these encounters from their home or workplace at any time, via the web or telephone. During each live interaction, physicians will be able to review the member's available clinical information, speak with the member, prescribe medications as appropriate, and suggest follow-up care. The system will automatically create a complete record of each encounter, supporting continuity and collaboration among the providers caring for a member.
WellPoint plans to begin building an Online Care provider network, with the goal of launching the program in select markets, yet to be determined, in the fourth quarter.
"We share WellPoint's mission to increase access to quality, affordable health care," said Ido Schoenberg, MD, CEO of American Well Inc. "At this important moment in healthcare change, we look forward to joining forces with WellPoint to realize this goal through the use of innovative technology."
About WellPoint, Inc.
WellPoint works to simplify the connection between Health, Care and Value. We help to improve the health of our communities, deliver better care to members, and provide greater value to our customers and shareholders. WellPoint is the nation's largest health benefits company, with approximately 34 million members in its affiliated health plans. As an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, WellPoint serves members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), and Wisconsin. In a majority of these service areas, WellPoint does business as Anthem Blue Cross, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield or Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield (in the New York service areas). WellPoint also serves customers throughout the country as UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com/.
About American Well
American Well™ has created an Online Care system that allows consumers to connect with physicians immediately, whenever they have a health need, from their homes or offices. The innovation uses advanced Web-based technologies and telephony to remove traditional barriers to healthcare access, including insurance coverage, geography, mobility and time constraints. American Well is committed to supporting health plans in meeting consumer and employer demand for affordable, efficient and immediate access to quality care. For more information, please visit www.americanwell.com.
SOURCE WellPoint, Inc.