Telehealth Key to Payer COVID-19 Prevention, Diagnosis, Testing

As the new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, spreads across the US, payers are using partnerships and telehealth to help assess and address the virus.

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Recently Best’s AM Report shared that volatility and pressure in the healthcare system can lead to strong innovation in the healthcare payer industry.

“The health insurance market continues to change rapidly owing to regulatory and legislative changes, market demand, and medical advances,” the report explained. “As a result, health insurers are quite receptive to new technologies and are usually early adopters that have produced quantifiable results.”

About two months since the first case of coronavirus was reported in the US, this analysis rings true as payers form new partnerships and launch telehealth solutions to prevent and manage the pandemic.

New York Payers Partner To Provide Telemedicine Solutions

The healthcare industry is growing increasingly aware of telehealth’s role in the coronavirus preventive care and management efforts. The virus has significantly boosted telehealth usage as payers try to prevent patients from carrying the disease into doctors’ offices and ER rooms while seeking care.

Capital District’s Physicians’ Health Plans (CDPHP) and MVP Health Care are two New York health plans that are banding together to offer telemedicine services. The services are being employed to allow providers to offer both diagnostic and prescription services over the phone for coronavirus.

“As the public contends with coronavirus COVID-19, it’s essential that communities and businesses like ours collaborate to tackle this issue in innovative ways,” said Christopher Del Vecchio, president and chief executive officer of MVP Health Care. 

“Together with CDPHP, we’re leveraging technology during a challenging time to support the health and safety of the communities we serve. This program is a game-changer for anyone in need of virtual ER triage.”

Members will be able to call in or go online to connect with a live, emergency-trained United Concierge Medicine provider. The provider can assess the member’s condition and discern whether the member may have contracted COVID-19.

If the member is determined to be at risk for COVID-19, the provider will then arrange for the patient to receive a COVID-19 test, locating the nearest testing facility and availability.

“This first of its kind partnership is putting patient health first, providing our combined membership instant access to emergency medicine,” said John D. Bennett, MD, president and chief executive officer of CDPHP. “In times of uncertainty, it’s critical that our organizations come together and do what’s right for the community. That’s exactly what is happening here.”

The service went into effect immediately on March 16, 2020.

Oscar Health Offers COVID-19 Risk Quiz and Testing Center Locator

Venture capitalist-funded Oscar Health built the nation’s first testing center locator which is now available, not just to Oscar Heath members but to anyone who may be in need of COVID-19 testing.

The first step to utilizing with Oscar Health’s new tool is to take a risk assessment survey. The quiz takes only about a minute and walks patients through potential risk factors, such as a history of smoking, and COVID-19 symptoms like difficulty breathing.

At the end of the quiz, the site recommends mitigation measures. If one of those measures is to get tested for COVID-19, the patient will be directed to a testing center locator. Patients can find the closest center with availability for testing and will be advised regarding best practices, such as calling ahead.

At the time of its release, the tool mapped out 100 testing sites, but Oscar Health said it is adding more sites to the resource daily.

The tool also immediately links patients with Oscar Health’s telemedicine platform, Doctor on Call, to discuss their risk and preventive care measures.

As the pandemic continues, other payers are expected to launch new solutions and partnerships, such as CVS Health’s to-be-defined federal partnership to enable COVID-19 testing. These innovations, along with advancements across the healthcare industry, could prove pivotal to bringing the downward curve in the graphs tracking coronavirus incidences.