Telemedicine startup Doctor On Demand has added a new service. Beginning this summer, the company will offer laboratory testing services.
Through the new offering, when physicians need to order a test for patients, they will be able to access numerous tests without having to go through other lab provider platforms. Patients will be able to select from a variety of lab experiences. They’ll then receive results through the Doctor On Demand app.
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In an email, Doctor On Demand CEO Hill Ferguson told MedCity the addition presents a way for patients to have more control over their health. “We want to remove any barriers that stand in the way of treating our patients over telemedicine — and by doing this we give our physicians direct access to the test results without having to go through a separate platform,” he said. “This also makes for a seamless process for our patients who in return are able to choose the lab experience they want and need that best fits their location, insurance and budget.”
Doctor On Demand says a single visit with a medical doctor costs $75. With the new lab services offering, Ferguson said the “only added cost is that of the lab test.”
To make this possible, the San Francisco, California-based company partnered with Burlington, North Carolina-based LabCorp and Madison, New Jersey-based Quest Diagnostics. “We strategically partnered with … two of the largest labs in the country that cover the majority of our patients nationwide, to allow our physicians to seamlessly order and evaluate patient lab results when needed,” Ferguson said. He did not comment on whether Doctor On Demand plans on adding partnerships with additional organizations going forward.
Ferguson said his company’s decision helps expand telemedicine on a broader scale. Care via telemedicine no longer has to end upon the completion of a visit. “With labs we are making a major leap forward by removing clinical barriers to treating patients over telemedicine and are able to build out our care coordination capabilities and expand our range of services,” he said.
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This addition comes after an eventful few years for Doctor On Demand. In August 2015, CVS teamed up with Doctor On Demand, Teladoc and American Well to widen patient access to physicians. The company added psychiatrists in early 2016. And about a year ago, Ferguson, a former PayPal exec, joined the Doctor On Demand team as CEO. He replaced Adam Jackson, who served as CEO since the company’s 2012 launch.
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