Hospitals, Telemedicine

Partners HealthCare links up with Teladoc for telemedicine initiative

The organizations have teamed up for Partners HealthCare on Demand, a new telehealth solution that will be available to commercial members of Partners' Neighborhood Health Plan.

Visualizing e-Health, online health care via apps, or being remotely monitored by a doctor.

Boston-based Partners HealthCare and the recently rebranded Teladoc Health have teamed up for Partners HealthCare on Demand, a new telehealth platform.

The solution will be for urgent care video visits, and patients will receive care from Partners clinicians via a mobile device or the web.

Initially, it will only be offered to commercial members of Partners’ health plan, which is called Neighborhood Health Plan but will be renamed AllWays Health Partners as of January 1, 2019.

The initiative is managed by Partners Connected Health, Partners Community Physicians Organization and Neighborhood Health Plan.

“This is an important step toward fully integrated care delivery, and we’re pleased to be working with Teladoc Health as we continue to improve the experience for our patients and providers alike, making healthcare more accessible, personal and efficient,” Joseph Kvedar, Partners HealthCare’s vice president of Connected Health, said in a statement.

Alan Roga, Teladoc Health’s president of hospital and health systems, also weighed in.

“Partners’ selection of Teladoc Health demonstrates the unsurpassed value we are providing to health systems to address their unique business need, and we look forward to supporting them on this initiative and helping to scale and expand their telehealth programs,” he said, according to a news release.

In other Teladoc news, the company announced this week that it is offering free, 24/7 visits to people impacted by Hurricane Lane and the wildfires in Hawaii. Both Teladoc members and non-members can use the service.

Similarly, it offered free visits to victims of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma last year.

Earlier this summer, the Purchase, New York-based company bought Advance Medical, a virtual care company, in a $352 million deal aimed at expanding its global footprint and increasing its service offerings. Through the deal, the combined company has more than 2,000 employees and can bring care to people in 125 countries in more than 20 languages.

Photo: JanWillemKunnen, Getty Images

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