Preferred Risk Administrators Announces Partnership with First Stop Health to Offer Telemedicine Service to Employer Groups
Bedford Park, IL (PRWEB) June 15, 2017 -- Preferred Risk Administrators has partnered with First Stop Health to begin offering a new telemedicine service to employer groups across the county. Telemedicine is a service that allows a member to speak with a physician over the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is no copay, deductible, or any other out-of-pocket expense for the member to pay for using the service. For certain illnesses, the physician is typically able to make a diagnosis over the phone and call in a prescription directly to the member’s pharmacy of choice.
“It really is a great benefit to offer to employees,” said Bob Dial, Vice President Preferred Risk Administrators. “First, the employee avoids paying an out-of-pocket copay or deductible for seeing a doctor. Second, they also avoid all of the hassle involved scheduling an appointment and making a trip to the doctor’s office. An added benefit to the First Stop Health telemedicine program, is that seven additional family members of each enrolled employee in the program may also use this service at no further cost.”
“The First Stop Health telemedicine program also benefits employer groups, as it reduces the time an employee has to be off work to visit a doctor, while self-insured employer groups have even more savings realized on their self-insured plan by avoiding unnecessary doctor office visits,” Dial explained.
Sandy Horn of Warrior Invictus, Inc., a self-insured employer group that utilizes First Stop Health explained, “Out of 43 calls our employees made to First Stop Health, it was determined that 58% or 25 would have gone to see a doctor and 14% or 6 would have gone to the emergency room. So not only did our employees receive excellent service from First Stop Health, we as the self-insured plan saved money from these individuals not having to go see a doctor, or more importantly, a very expensive and unnecessary emergency room visit.”
The First Stop Health telemedicine service works by a member either calling the telemed phone number or entering their request online. A U.S.based, First Stop Health licensed physician, will contact the member in an average of under five minutes. Next, the physician and the member will discuss the symptoms the member is currently experiencing. When possible, the physician makes a diagnosis right over the phone and can order a prescription and/or give other treatment advice.
“The top reasons members call First Stop Health include sore throat, cough, sinus infection, urinary tract infection, skin rash, eye infection, ear ache, upset stomach, and muscle or joint pain,” explained Dial. “Or, if someone goes out of town and either forgets or runs out of their medicine, a First Stop Health physician will often be able to refill that prescription for the member, so that they can pick it up at a nearby pharmacy.”
Preferred Risk Administrators is headquartered in Bedford Park and provides a wide range of Third Party Administrator (TPA) services. Whether you’re an individual or group carrier, or a self-funded group, Preferred Risk Administrators has what you need. For more information on the First Stop Health telemedicine program, contact Bob Dial at 708-475-6051 or RDial(at)PreferredRiskAdmin(dot)com.
Linda Gardner, Preferred Risk Administrators, http://preferredriskadmin.com/, +1 708-638-9579, [email protected]
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