Growing North Carolina trend could cut medical bills
The growing trend of doctor appointments through video chat, or “Telemedicine,” could cut medical bills for North Carolina residents.
North Carolina-based RelyMD is one of a number of services now offering doctor’s appointments through a tablet or computer’s web camera.
The service’s medical director, Dr. Bobby Park, said his service is popular with small businesses that can only afford high deductible insurance plans for their employees.
RelyMD only charges about $50 per visit which is cheaper instead of going to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room.
Dr. Park said his service only focuses on non-urgent illnesses like ear and sinus infections particularly when symptoms flare in the middle of the night.
Dr. Park said North Carolina-based providers don’t reimburse him for his services but he believes that will change.
“Insurance companies are going to do things that they feel are cost-effective,” he said. “I do honestly believe that telemedicine like this, if used correctly, can be a huge cost-savings to the system.”
United Healthcare and Anthem already announced they will start covering virtual visits for millions of its members in the coming year.
A representative of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, the state’s largest provider, said the company covers online visits on a limited basis, but it’s planning to change its policies.