Oscar Health has tapped a new leader for its medical group, releasing the news alongside a first look at how its members are responding to its newly launched virtual primary care offering.
Okiki Louis, M.D., will become president of Oscar Medical Group on April 26, succeeding Neil Parikh, M.D., who will be staying on with the group through the fall as part of the transition. Oscar Medical Group is a collection of practices owned by physicians, and its docs and nurse practitioners provide virtual urgent and primary care services to Oscar plan members.
Louis joins Oscar from Concentra, where she serves as vice president of medical operations for the mountain region, overseeing its medical operations in Nevada, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, Alaska, Colorado and Utah. She also has prior experience as an urgent care and emergency medicine physician.
"We believe that we have one of the best telemedicine offerings in the country and we want to keep doubling down on this, expanding our offerings to members," Meghan Joyce, Oscar Health's chief operating officer, told Fierce Healthcare.
"As we continue to expand the Oscar Medical group, we believe that Dr. Louis is the person to lead OMG through this expansion," Joyce said.
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“The pandemic has presented a host of challenges in accessing healthcare, and Oscar has been at the forefront of offering solutions like Virtual Primary Care that enable patients to continue accessing care at a cost they can afford, and I am excited to build upon its success.”
In addition, Oscar said early indicators suggest virtual primary care is resonating with its members. Since its launch at the beginning of this year, its virtual primary care providers have maintained a 99% satisfaction score with users, Oscar said.
Through the service, Oscar members have access to $0 virtual visits for primary care needs, as well as no cost for tier-one prescriptions, durable medical equipment, labs, diagnostic imaging and initial specialty care referrals from Oscar providers.
Through the primary care program, members can also access vitals monitoring kits and in-home lab draws at no cost when ordered by Oscar primary care providers.
Many (85%) of those who try virtual primary care say they intend to use it as their only PCP moving forward and/or when medical issues arise, Oscar said. In states where they practice, Oscar Medical Group is among the top three primary care provider groups for Oscar Health members.
The majority of patients adopting the service are over 36, Oscar said, and, as virtual primary care is bilingual, with about 38% of patients speaking Spanish.