HealthTap launches a live medical advice service that uses your iOS device
HealthTap+ today announced the launch of HealthTap Concierge, its pay-as-you-go medical consulting service. This is an addition to the current HealthTap services that can be delivered over the web to a computer or your iOS device.
HealthTap Concierge is meant to address the three biggest problems you face when trying to get fast reliable medical advice from your doctor:
1. It takes too long to get an appointment.
2. It's inconvenient to travel to the doctor's physical office and waste time in the waiting room (while getting exposed to health risks spread by other patients).
3. Doctor visits and even insurance co-pays often cost too much.
HealthTap will connect you directly with your doctor and other top specialists and generalists of your choice-virtually by HD video, text chat or voice with its iOS app or PC or Mac. You can also get advice and even medication refills with no wait time. Your instantaneous virtual consultation is as easy as clicking a button in a mobile app, privately and securely. If you join up (prices detailed below) it costs US$44 per consultation, close to a cost of a typical co-pay from more traditional medical services.
HealthTap Concierge also allows you to build a Care Team of high-quality care providers at no cost by providing 24/7 access to the Virtual Practices of more than one million doctors from 105 medical specialties. Starting today, anyone can get a second, third or tenth opinion from top specialist via HD video or secure text chat, from anywhere in the world.
The company has more than 64,000 doctors in the U.S. to help. In addition to the live chats and interaction, the app offers more generic health tips from trusted sources, and some checklists to get you into a healthier mode of life.
HealthTap may be on to something with a marriage of technology and a national medical system that has fallen behind in getting people the kind of treatment and hands-on attention they want.
The system is actively recruiting additional doctors, and people who have doctors can try to get their own physicians engaged in the service. Patients pay by the encounter. This kind of virtual health experience is unique in the industry, and may set a trend.
There are multiple levels of service available. HealthTap does not provide medical care or diagnosis. Experts provide general information. HealthTap Prime does provide limited medical care as appropriate, but is not meant to be a substitute for your local doctor. HealthTap is free, but the personal services are part of a paid plan.
Here's how the plans work. A free non-member plan allows you to look at material that has already been collected and see how doctors answered questions from others. That's not much different from finding information on the web, although the information from HealthTap is curated. A basic plan, also free, gives you the curated material, a personalized news feed, healthy living tips, the ability to securely store health tests results, and share them with your doctor.
The Prime Membership adds the above and offers Doctor referrals, ability to ask questions of doctors, video or text chat, and coverage of Primary care doctors. This service is $99.00 per month for an individual, and $10 extra per family member.
The Concierge service, the newest offering, is by invitation only and aims to include your own doctors during office hours. That's subject, of course, to your doctor agreeing. Consultations are $44 per 'visit' (free for Prime Members), and adds specialists in 105 categories.
As you can see, the paid options are not cheap, but may be of great benefit to people who want something additional to basic insurance and more access to doctors and information at any time and from any location.
You can get more details on the HealthTap website.
Services like this may well become the future of healthcare, as more and more smartphones with video capability are deployed.
