In an attempt to reduce unnecessary emergency room and doctor visits and control costs, Torrance, Calif.-based Keenan & Associates, an insurance brokerage and consulting firm, has partnered with Dallas-based TelaDoc Inc. to provide employees with access to board-certified doctors 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, reports the San Francisco Business Times.
Traveling patients and those who are unable to reach their primary-care doctors have access to care wherever they are through a 1-800 TelaDoc service. TelaDoc's physicians can write certain short-term prescriptions and are able to access patients' medical records to help recommend treatments. They're only meant to be used as a stop-gap measure, however, and not as an alternative to visiting a primary-care doctor on a regular basis.
To learn more about this service:
- read this San Francisco Business Times article