CVS and three top telemedicine companies are working together to look at how to improve patient care.
By working with American Well, Doctor on Demand and Teladoc, CVS Health hopes to examine how direct-to-consumer telehealth providers, retail pharmacy and retail clinic providers can partner up to improve care, according to an announcement.
"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," Andrew Sussman, M.D., executive vice president and associate chief medical officer at CVS Health, said in the announcement. "In doing so, CVS Health will add value for patients, clients and health plans by improving access to low-cost quality care."
The move is one of many CVS is making in the digital healthcare space.
In late July, the retail clinic announced a collaboration with IBM to combine predictive analytics and Watson technology to improve care management services. The Watson technology will help CVS Health employees provide guidance to patients and work with primary care doctors to treat individuals dealing with chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
In addition, CVS' MinuteClinic continues to grow, boasting 1,000 sites in 32 states, Tobias Barker, vice president of medical operations for CVS MinuteClinic, said earlier this month at the eHealth Initiative's iThrive Challenge in the District of Columbia.
Each clinic, he said, has a virtual waiting room equipped with high-definition video and audio tools. Patients who opt for treatment via telemedicine can then be seen by any other available MinuteClinic provider within the same state.
Telemedicine use is on the rise, in part because of success from vendors like American Well, Doctor on Demand and Teladoc, the latter which announced its first IPO this year.
To learn more:
- here's the announcement