Telemedicine Boom Means Fast Success for Start-Up Telemedicine provider AmeriDoc moves to North Texas to accommodate rapid growth Plano, TX (PRWEB) August 10, 2010 Once a fanciful notion limited to science fiction films, “virtual visits” with health care providers are going mainstream. Lawmakers, medical professionals and insurance carriers looking for ways to improve health care services and cut costs are turning to “telemedicine,” medical consultations offered by phone or electronic communications, such as email and live video. The American Medical Association Council on Medical Service recently issued a report designed to facilitate reimbursement for telemedicine services, which are currently covered under Medicaid in nearly half the country. As more employers and private insurers adopt similar policies, the market for telemedicine services in the U.S. is expected to generate $3.6 billion in annual revenue over the next five years, according to a study by research firm Pike & Fischer. The increased acceptance of virtual visits is good news for telemedicine industry start-ups, such as AmeriDoc, LLC, which recently shifted its operations from south Florida to north Texas to accommodate the company’s rapid growth. “We felt that moving our headquarters to Plano would enable the company to operate more synergistically, because our entire staff would be in one centralized location,” says David Lindsey, President and CEO for AmeriDoc. Less than two years after the company was founded, its operations now dominate an entire floor of a modern mid-rise office building in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. More important, the company already has built a proprietary network of physicians across all 50 states to provide telemedicine services to more than 75,000 consumer members nationwide. All physicians within AmeriDoc’s system are based in the U.S. and credentialed using the National Committee for Quality Assurance standards, which verifies education, state and federal licensure, and malpractice and disciplinary history. Members can go online or call the company’s 24-hour customer center to schedule a medical consultation with a licensed doctor via phone, email or online video any time day or night. “The average emergency room visit costs about $1200, but research indicates that two-thirds of all ER visits are non-emergencies,” notes Lindsey. “Most doctors’ office visits are unnecessary, too, because the patient just wants a second opinion, or they have a common condition.” Using telemedicine services, such as those offered by AmeriDoc, patients don’t have to wait for an appointment, and they can avoid having to take time off work or school to see a doctor. The cost is far lower – only $35 for a phone consultation, versus about $150 for an office visit to a general practitioner – and the option to have a “virtual doctor visit” also improves the availability of health care in rural areas. The growth of telemedicine is only expected to increase, particularly as the newly enacted “Obama-Care” legislation goes into effect in 2014. As the company continues to expand its network of providers and improve the technologies offered to consumer members, industry newcomer AmeriDoc is leading the trend. About AmeriDoc
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