American Well Case Study Essay Example
American Well
Benefits of Online Care for patients, health providers, and health insurance companies
a) Benefits for patients
With Online Care wait times are drastically reduced from days to hours or minutes and patients do not need to travel to the clinic. This service can be accessed at home providing privacy as well as protection from infections that can be contracted from other patients in the waiting area. The service is much cheaper compared to clinic visits. Patients can also instantly seek second opinion. There are no time constraints and PCPs are available on-demand with greater choice. The patients can easily manage and access their medical records and information online. Online care will allow for immediate professional medical attention leading to better and earlier diagnosis of disease. It is mentioned in the case that 17% of people under age 65 paid out of pocket or avoided clinic visits due to high costs. These people can also benefit from using this service.
b) Benefits for health providers
Online Care provides flexibility of time and location to the physicians. They can log-in anytime and anywhere – at home or their clinic. New physicians will not need to set up most of infrastructure required and can start practicing medicine almost immediately. The service also provides a great opportunity to earn extra money. It can attract retired physicians due to its flexibility, adding to the supply of experienced physicians and alleviating shortage of physicians. Since there is no physical contact, this will also reduce exposure to infections through patients. Along with that, providers can offer personalized care since patient information is readily available to address patient’s gaps in the care on a real time basis during the online session.
c) Benefits for health insurance companies
Online Care provides a health insurance company with a better and cheaper way to proactively solve healthcare issues, improve member satisfaction and retain members.
Benefits of Online Care for patients, health providers, and health insurance companies
a) Benefits for patients
With Online Care wait times are drastically reduced from days to hours or minutes and patients do not need to travel to the clinic. This service can be accessed at home providing privacy as well as protection from infections that can be contracted from other patients in the waiting area. The service is much cheaper compared to clinic visits. Patients can also instantly seek second opinion. There are no time constraints and PCPs are available on-demand with greater choice. The patients can easily manage and access their medical records and information online. Online care will allow for immediate professional medical attention leading to better and earlier diagnosis of disease. It is mentioned in the case that 17% of people under age 65 paid out of pocket or avoided clinic visits due to high costs. These people can also benefit from using this service.
b) Benefits for health providers
Online Care provides flexibility of time and location to the physicians. They can log-in anytime and anywhere – at home or their clinic. New physicians will not need to set up most of infrastructure required and can start practicing medicine almost immediately. The service also provides a great opportunity to earn extra money. It can attract retired physicians due to its flexibility, adding to the supply of experienced physicians and alleviating shortage of physicians. Since there is no physical contact, this will also reduce exposure to infections through patients. Along with that, providers can offer personalized care since patient information is readily available to address patient’s gaps in the care on a real time basis during the online session.
c) Benefits for health insurance companies
Online Care provides a health insurance company with a better and cheaper way to proactively solve healthcare issues, improve member satisfaction and retain members.