American Well

American Well
Private
Industry Healthcare
Founded 2006
Founder Drs. Ido and Roy Schoenberg
Headquarters Boston, Massachusetts
Area served
 United States
Services Mobile and Web Doctor Visits
Website americanwell.com

American Well is a privately held telehealth company based in Boston, Massachusetts that connects people instantly with doctors over secure video.[1] The company provides immediate urgent care web visits for patients in 46 states.[2] The service operates on computers,[3] and in 2013 American Well released mobile applications for both Android and iOS operating systems.[4] The apps enables a mobile-optimized version of the same video visits.[5]

History

American Well was founded by brothers Drs. Ido and Roy Schoenberg in 2006.[6]
Initially, American Well served health insurance companies as their primary customers.[6] In 2008, the company announced its first major health plan customer: Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawaii's Blue Cross Blue Shield provider.[7] Since then, the company has added 23 additional Blue Cross Blue Shield plans including Wellpoint[8] and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.[9]
In 2013, the company announced that they would market their service directly to consumers.[4] After the company launched to the general public, the service has surged in usage and popularity.[10]

Raising a total of $81 million in 2014, American Well made it onto PitchBook's list of the top 10 HealthTech companies that raised the most capital that year. [11]

Mobile and Web Doctor Visits

With 24-hour access to licensed and credentialed physicians, patients can use the service even when their primary care physician is not available.[12] The cost of a visit is typically $49,[4] but a patient's insurance may cover part or all the fee.[13] During the visit, the doctor can diagnose, treat, and depending on the state the patient is in, even prescribe medication.[14] After the visit, the patient receives a secure message with the physician's notes and instructions for follow up care. If the doctor prescribed medication, the prescription would be sent electronically to a pharmacy of the patient's choice.[15]

The Doctors on American Well

American Well is staffed by physicians in the Online Care Group, a national physician-owned primary care group. Many of the physicians in the group have an average of 10–15 years of clinical experience.[10] They must be licensed and credentialed in multiple states in order to practice effectively online.

References

  1. ↑ Cain Miller, Claire (19 November 2008). "The Doctor Will See You Now -- Online". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Dolan, Brian. "Direct to consumer mobile video visits with physicians now available in 44 states". MobiHealthNews. MobiHealthNews. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  3. ↑ Lite, Jordan (6 January 2009). "The new house call: Your doctor's at the door, er, on your Web cam". Scientific American. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Armstrong Moore, Elizabeth. "For $49, a doctor will see you now -- online". CNet. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  5. ↑ Fried, Ina. "Need to Talk to a Doctor, Pronto? Now There’s an App for That, Too.". All Things D. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  6. 1 2 Ofek, Ellie; Ron Laufer (March 2010). "American Well: The Doctor Will E-See You Now". Harvard Business School Case 510. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Goldstein, Jacob (19 June 2008). "The Doctor Will See You on the Webcam Now". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Terry, Ken. "WellPoint To Launch National Telehealth Program". Information Week. Information Week. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  9. ↑ Lerner, Maura. "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota To Launch 'Virtual Clinic'". iHealthBeat. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  10. 1 2 Diana, Alison. "Telehealth Gains Momentum In Obamacare Era". Information Week. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  11. ↑ PitchBook (January 2015). "The top 10 healthtech companies that raised the most capital in 2014". Hot Topics. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  12. ↑ Slabodkin, Greg. "American Well launches mobile-based telehealth service". Fierce Mobile Healthcare. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  13. ↑ Brink, Susan (9 October 2013). "Telehealth: The Ultimate in Convenience Care". US News & World Report. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Galewitz, Phil (10 May 2012). "Virtual doctors visits catch on with insurers, employers". USA Today. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
  15. ↑ Kowalczyk, Liz (6 December 2013). "Want to see doctor at your home? There’s an app for that". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
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