The idea of telehealth in the local pharmacy is so powerful, even a couple of bitter rivals are working together to achieve it.
Though locked in legal dispute over patent infringement charges, American Well and Teladoc are joining forces as partners in a new telehealth initiative by pharmacy giant CVS Health. The New Jersey-based chain, which operates close to 8,000 sites around the nation, has signed deals with the two and Doctors On Demand – the consumer facing company founded by TV's Dr. Phil, among others - in a bid to offer customers a wide range of healthcare touch points.
CVS plans to expand its telehealth offerings in six states by the fourth quarter of this year. All told, the Rhode Island-based company has 7,800 retail drug stores across the nation, 1,000 of which are equipped with walk-in MinuteClinics, and also serves as the pharmacy benefits manager for some 70 million people.
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The deals follow an 18-month pilot project in 12 MinuteClinics in California and Texas which ended in June. A follow-up survey of 1,700 of the 14,000 customers who used the service found that 95 percent were "highly satisfied" with the encounter, and one-third said they preferred a telehealth visit over an in-person visit with a doctor.
"During our initial phase of exploration of telehealth in our store-based clinics, we learned that we could deliver excellent quality care and that patients were extremely satisfied with the care provided," Andrew Sussman, MD, executive vice president and associate chief medical officer of CVS Health and president of MinuteClinic, said in a press release. "As we examine additional ways to (use) telehealth to improve and expand patient care, we have the opportunity to partner with telehealth organizations in the care of patients at home. In doing so, CVS Health will add value for patients, clients and health plans by improving access to low-cost quality care."
"A key pillar of our strategy is forging the right partnerships within the industry," Brian Tilzer, senior vice president and chief digital officer of CVS Health, added in the press release. "We recognize that some of the best ideas are already being developed, so we're committed to partnering with other companies to explore and expand on these ideas together."
Interest is high in combining pharmacies with telehealth, as evidenced by Walgreen's extensive forays into the field and Rite Aid's recent deployment of HealthSpot kiosks in dozens its Ohio pharmacies.
"It (the pharmacy) is the destination 99 percent of the time when we have an illness," HealthSpot CEO Steve Cashman pointed out.
CVS' new venture will be split into three parts. Customers visiting the CVS online site will be referred to the three telehealth platforms when needed, while customers of those companies will be referred to CVS MinuteClinics when they need services that can't be done online or through a phone call, such as a throat culture or ear exam. Also, nurses stationed at the MinuteClinics will be able to consult with a physician from one of the telehealth platforms when needed.
Each of the three companies partnering with CVS comes at telehealth from a different angle. San Francisco-based Doctor On Demand markets its video visits platform to consumers, charging from $40 to $95 for sessions of 25 or 50 minutes. Boston-based American Well has an expansive platform that includes consumer-facing and physician-facing platforms, a mobile app and a strong base of payers and health plans. Dallas-based Teladoc's platform is primarily telephone-and online-based, and also spans the consumer, payer and physician markets.
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"We expect to see many new patients from this partnership. It's a bit early to tell, but given how large CVS is and what a trusted brand they are, we believe this will yield at least tens of thousands of new patients in the first phases of the partnership," Doctor On Demand CEO Adam Jackson told mHealth News.
"Partnering with CVS Health gives Doctor On Demand an opportunity to care for the millions of Americans in CVS Health's vast network," he added. "This partnership helps Doctor On Demand expand our business through referrals from CVS, helps CVS to serve its patients when the existing MinuteClinic footprint cannot and helps consumers gain access to affordable and quality healthcare."
Teladoc officials said they don't yet have specifics as to how their services will be incorporated into the CVS platform, but said the deal "allows Teladoc to explore the direct-to-consumer market while leveraging a trusted household name."
"Caring for CVS Health customers is a great privilege and responsibility," Teladoc CEO Jason Gorevic said in an e-mail. "Consumers are choosing telehealth because it is a convenient and effective way to receive care. Teladoc is the pioneer of this innovative model, and we are excited to partner with CVS Health to increase the ways in which its customers can access high quality and affordable care."
"We are delighted that CVS Health has joined the roster of top health plans, employers and hospitals that trust American Well for their telehealth services," Ido Schoenberg, CEO of American Well, said in a press release. "Together we can offer consumers far more convenient access to affordable, quality care in the community and at home."
That Teladoc and American Well are partnering with the same company might seem a bit odd, considering the two are locked in a legal battle over patent infringement charges filed by American Well. Then again, with interoperability among the key components of today's mobile health landscape, it seems fitting that competitors can and will work side by side.
