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  • We’ve discussed it before, and we’re here to discuss it again – telehealth. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our lives in ways we never knew were possible. From working remotely to completely separating ourselves from everyone, it was undoubtedly a shock to our systems. While the pandemic negatively affected our everyday lives, it certainly had a handful of positives. While telehealth was a thing of the past, it became more prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic when we were all stuck at home. Continue reading to learn its benefits for business owners and their employees.

    What Is Telehealth?

    Telehealth, often referred to as telemedicine, allows your health care provider to care for you without an in-person office visit. You can talk to your health care provider live without having to leave your house, send and receive messages, and use remote monitoring so your health care provider can check on you at home.

    There is a variety of specialized care you can receive through telehealth, including the following:

    • Lab test or x-ray results
    • Mental health treatment, including online therapy, counseling, and medication management
    • Recurring conditions such as migraines or urinary tract infections
    • Skin conditions
    • Prescription management
    • Urgent care issues such as colds, coughs, and stomach aches
    • Post-surgical follow-up
    • Treatment and follow-up appointments for attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
    • Physical therapy and occupational therapy
    • Remote monitoring services that help you track your health goals and manage chronic conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol

    Telehealth continues to be one of the fastest-growing trends after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, nearly four in 10 American adults (39%) have now utilized remote health care services, representing an exponential growth from 2019.

    Let’s Take A Deep Dive Into What This Means For Employers

    Employees are looking for benefits that reflect their culture and values. You can see this throughout the Great Resignation when 43% of employees quit their jobs and left for better benefits. The following are the benefits of providing your employees with access to telehealth which can promote equity and make for a more inclusive benefits environment:

    • Provider diversity options
    • Accessibility and convenience
    • Safety
    • Affordability – saves employees money
    • Offers speedy access to care
    • Supports mental well-being
    • Provides competitive advantage
    • Enhances productivity and performance

    A significant part of retaining a productive and diverse workforce is ensuring your employees feel appreciated and cared for. Providing this benefit to your employees allows them to communicate with health professionals without visiting a doctor’s office.

    Telehealth also means saving you time and money. Employers can reduce costs and cut down on missed work related to health issues. Ultimately, telemedicine helps employers in lowering the expense of their health care plans. A study by the Jefferson Health System dictated that each avoided emergency department visit accumulated cost savings ranging from $309 to more than $1,500. Telehealth visits cost, on average, $79 compared to $146 for a doctor’s visit and $1,734 for an emergency room visit.

    GMS Can Help

    Looking at the advantages telehealth provides your employees, and your business is a no-brainer. Telehealth is a benefit you should begin offering to your employees. Group Management Services (GMS) provides your employees with 24/7 access to a free doctor as part of our premier employee benefits administration service through Teladoc. The convenience of Telehealth saves you and your employees time by cutting out travel and sitting in waiting rooms. In addition, it limits the need to take time off work to fit an employee’s ailments into a doctor’s schedule and cuts out costly co-pays. At the end of the day, healthy employees are good for every business. Contact our HR experts about adding telehealth services to your business’s health plan. You’re just one click away from helping your employees stay healthy and productive.

  • Among many things, the COVID-19 pandemic changed how providers connected with patients worldwide. To stop the spread of COVID-19 early on, many providers postponed or canceled patients’ appointments. As a result, telehealth became a prominent source of patient care and monitoring. Telehealth provides individuals with easy access to providers while decreasing in-person contact with health care facilities and staff. Patients receive real-time interactions monitored through a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Pre-deductible telehealth coverage was included in the 2023 omnibus spending bill. The bill proposed that the telehealth pre-deductible coverage would remain available for an additional two years. On December 29th, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the $1.7 trillion spending bill into law. The bill included extending telehealth relief provision, which supported the 2020 Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES). The CARES Act pushed payments to eligible adults, expanded unemployment insurance, and gave loan borrowers additional time to make payments.

    Understanding Pre-Deductible Coverage 

    Understanding how your deductible works is an integral part of getting the most out of your policy. It’s imperative to understand how pre-deductibles work within your business. Pre-deductible benefits are implemented when your plan starts – giving access to you and your employees before reaching the set deductible. This allows you and your employees to receive coverage while removing the financial barrier – allowing the use of essential medicines, medical devices, and diagnostic tests.

    Good news for employers: the bill’s provision allows health savings account (HSA) -qualifying high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) to cover telehealth and other remote-care service options on a pre-deductible basis. Additionally, an otherwise HSA-eligible individual can receive pre-deductible coverage for such remote-care services from a stand-alone vendor outside of the HDHP. In both cases, the pre-deductible telehealth coverage won’t affect an individual’s eligibility to make or receive HSA contributions. In short, this pre-deductible coverage has improved access to health care options, in a convenient and accessible way.

    Following the HSA contribution rules, employees remain eligible for telehealth without affecting their contributions. Individuals within your organization could receive remote care from vendors in and outside of one’s network.

    Remain Protected With GMS 

    When the world shut down amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services reached an all-time high. As we transition out of that period, there are certain benefits employees want to stay – pre-deductible telehealth coverage being one of them. Luckily, it has been extended another two years, but still leaves uncertainty for the future thereafter. As a partner of GMS, you can receive affordable and convenient health consultations with licensed physicians. Additionally, Teladoc saves you and your employees time from sitting in waiting rooms, minimizing the need to take time off work. Through our partner, Teladoc, your employees can stay healthy and productive. Contact GMS today to learn more. 

  • Since the COVID-19 pandemic changed the health care industry, telehealth has emerged as an unexpected silver lining. Telehealth has improved access to care and has facilitated a transition toward digital medicine. During a time of hardships amongst individuals worldwide, telehealth enables virtual doctor visits when in-office visits become almost impossible. Now, telehealth is here to stay indefinitely.

    The Evolution Of Telehealth

    Telehealth, often referred to as telemedicine, allows your health care provider to care for you without an in-person office visit. It’s done primarily online with internet access on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. While telehealth has become increasingly important since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has actually been around for quite some time.

    One of the earliest uses of hospital-based telemedicine was in the late 1950s when a closed-circuit television link was established between the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute and Norfolk State Hospital for psychiatric consultations. Telemedicine became most prevalent in rural areas where populations had limited access to health care and could reach specialists from afar. Since then, technological advances have improved telemedicine efforts, but still resemble earlier telemedicine equipment.

    In the fall of 2020, nearly two-thirds of Medicare beneficiaries reported that their provider offered telehealth appointments, up 18% from before the pandemic. A survey was conducted regarding telehealth, and 69% of the respondents said that they use telehealth because it’s more convenient than an in-person appointment. In addition, 78% said telehealth made it easier for them to seek out health care when they need it.

    The Future Of Telehealth

    Given the rise and sustained higher use of telehealth since the COVID-19 pandemic, the following are trends to be aware of moving into the new year:

    • There will be restrictions on telehealth use, and reimbursements will be permanently lifted
    • Telehealth business models will continue to evolve
    • The types of care that can be provided through telehealth will continue to expand
    • Telehealth will serve as a catalyst to expand the range of mental and behavioral health services

    Telehealth will continue to be an essential means of delivering care to individuals across the United States. 

    What This Means For Business Owners

    Understanding the importance and the future of telemedicine is beneficial for any business owner. When providing your employees with a benefits program, it’s worthwhile to look into telemedicine options to offer them the resources they need. We all know that seeing a doctor in person isn’t always convenient. Depending on your doctor’s availability, you may have to deal with several scheduling headaches to get an in-person meeting. The convenience of telehealth saves you and your employees time by cutting out travel and sitting in waiting rooms. It also limits the need to take time off of work to fit an employee’s ailments into a doctor’s schedule and cuts out costly co-pays.

    Luckily, when you partner with GMS, you gain access to quick, convenient telehealth access. Affordable and convenient health consultations with licensed physicians are only a phone call or mouse click away through telehealth. Contact GMS today about adding telemedicine services to your business’s health plan to help your employees stay healthy and productive.