Telehealth is playing an ever-growing role in healthcare delivery today, and many businesses are incorporating the service into employee benefits packages to keep up with evolving technology and patient demands. With so many vendors to choose from, how do you select the one that’s best for your business? Consider these key factors when vetting a telehealth partner:
Technology is King
If the platform doesn’t work effectively and efficiently, patients may not receive the treatment they need, when they need it. Some questions to consider:
- Is the telehealth platform user friendly across all devices?
- Does the vendor offer a mobile app?
- Does the vendor regularly update the technology to fix bugs and improve the experience?
- Does the telehealth platform easily integrate billing, e-prescriptions, medical records and insurance information?
- Does the vendor offer tech support for businesses and patients?
Choose a vendor that continually works to improve its technology and the patient experience.
It’s also important that telehealth technology seamlessly connects to the company’s existing technology stack. This can be critical when it comes to a smooth implementation and employee utilization.
Go Beyond Urgent Care
Modern telehealth extends beyond urgent care services for common illnesses and injuries, such as a cold, flu or allergies. Consider choosing a telehealth vendor that provides telebehavioral health services to treat mental and emotional needs in addition to physical ailments. For instance, telebehavioral health helps employees address depression, anxiety, substance misuse or relationship issues, among many other concerns that can impact productivity in the workplace.
Providing your employees with behavioral health services can have a significant impact on your bottom line. According to the Center for Prevention and Health Services, mental illness and substance abuse issues cost employers between $79 and $105 billion each year in decreased productivity, absenteeism, and increased healthcare and disability costs.
Customizable Membership Options
No two companies are the same, so why should all telehealth programs be the same? Find a vendor that can creatively build a compelling, personalized membership and service line offering that fits your business needs, budget and employee base. This is essential to long-term success and employee utilization of the service.
The Human Touch
Although technology is king when it comes to telehealth, it’s important that the human touch is integrated throughout the process, from customer service to coordination of visits with a provider. Your telehealth vendor should offer robust support from the implementation stage through the life of the telehealth program. Support should include the following:
- A main point of contact to assist with day-to-day questions and operations
- A marketing team to provide direction on how to leverage telehealth benefits and encourage employee utilization
- Dedicated care team to provide guidance and support to employees before, during and after their visits with a provider
Engagement Strategies
Your telehealth program will only be successful if employees use the service. Choose a telehealth vendor that can provide proven implementation and engagement strategies to help you promote and drive utilization. They should make it easy for your employees to access the solution – it should not be buried in piles of paperwork that no one will read.
The vendor should check in regularly to ensure that your company has everything it needs to make the most of telehealth services.
Insurance Connectivity
It’s important that your telehealth solution can easily integrate into your current benefits plan. Having a partner that can seamlessly exchange benefit-related information with your insurance provider makes it easy to introduce telehealth to your employees.
Proven Expertise
Lastly, consider how long your telehealth company has been in business. Will they be around in a year? This doesn’t mean you should always go with the biggest company with the biggest name – it means you should choose a company with a track record of success. Use a third-party validation site (like TrustPilot) and read up on customer satisfaction ratings for your top choices. Doing so will ensure your employees get the services they need and expect.
While all telehealth vendors may seem similar on the surface, these criteria will show clear leaders that can provide the telehealth benefits that work best for your company. Learn more about MeMD’s business solutions or request a demo today.
