Add Intermountain Healthcare to the growing list of large healthcare providers that offer patients the chance to connect with a physician from the comfort of their own phone. IHC’s Connect Care will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and charge a flat fee of $49. Patients who the provider thinks need to be seen right away will get a referral and not be charged for the virtual visit. IHC operates 31 InstaCare/KidsCare centers across Utah. While more data on the clinical and financial viability of telemedicine are needed, there are questions urgent care operators need to ask before taking the plunge:
• Will telemedicine from home cannibalize urgent care, especially for low-acuity sinusitis and other upper respiratory conditions?
• Is there a risk urgent care providers who embrace telemedicine are trading $120+ in-person visits for $49 virtual visits while incurring the same physician labor cost?
• IHC is an integrated system—it also owns SelectHealth, Utah’s largest insurer. Will payers that realize cost savings start diverting patients away from brick-and-mortar urgent care to telemedicine?
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Intermountain Healthcare Joins the Telehealth Revolution