What to check before offering telemedicine to employees

Telemedicine lets employees speak with a health care professional without going to every appointment in person. To decide whether a service fits your business, you need to know what care it provides, who can use it, when appointments are available and what employees pay.

A phrase like “virtual care included” leaves those questions unanswered. Ask for a demonstration of the employee experience and a clear explanation of the service's limits before comparing it with another offer.

Understand the kind of care being offered

HHS describes telehealth as care delivered remotely through methods such as phone or video conversations and secure messaging. Which methods and services are available depends on the provider and program; a commercial service may not offer them all. (Source: HHS)

Find out which concerns the program handles and who delivers the care. Ask where an employee is directed when a concern falls outside its scope. Check whether visits use video, phone or messaging, and whether those methods serve the same purposes.

Virtual care cannot address every situation. Employees need to know when to seek urgent, emergency or in-person care and where the service's limits lie. A telemedicine membership should not be presented as comprehensive health insurance.

Check access against actual work schedules

Check when employees can actually get an appointment. Ask about operating hours and scheduling, along with any access or wait-time information the provider can substantiate. Find out how unusually busy periods are handled.

Weekday office hours may not suit employees working evenings or rotating shifts. If your team spans several states, check availability in each one. Ask what happens when an employee is traveling; access may differ by location.

Check language support, accessibility and device requirements as well. If a visit requires a reliable video connection, employees need to know that before they try to book.

Clarify eligibility and every likely charge

Establish who can use the service before announcing it. Check employee eligibility, age restrictions, waiting periods and dependent enrollment terms. Do not promise access for an employee's household until you know which family members qualify.

Separate the membership price from the cost of care. Does the quote include visits, and are any visit types excluded? Prescriptions, tests and follow-up services may involve separate charges. Ask the provider to identify its own fees and any services billed elsewhere.

If employees already have telehealth through another benefit, compare it with the proposed service. Look for a gap the addition would fill before giving the team another account to manage.

Review privacy and employer reporting

Tell employees who provides clinical care and where to find the privacy information. Have the vendor explain how enrollment and billing data differ from clinical records, what the employer can see and whom employees can contact with privacy questions.

Avoid promises of complete anonymity: registration and clinical care may require information that identifies the patient. Use the provider's reviewed privacy explanation. When helping with an administrative problem, do not ask the employee for medical details.

Test the path from enrollment to a visit

Use a sample account or another approved demonstration to follow the invitation, registration and appointment-selection steps. Test the less straightforward cases, too: missing eligibility, a failed password or a request for help after business hours.

Find out how new employees are added and departing employees are removed. Assign someone to maintain the eligibility list and agree on how updates reach the provider. That process can help catch access problems before an employee needs care.

Explain the benefit without overselling it

Explain what the service does, how to start, what it costs and its limits. Keep those instructions available after launch. Managers can direct employees to the service without assessing symptoms or deciding what care they need.

Ask LASO Health about WorkWell Connect if you are considering telemedicine for your team. Review the arrangement available to your business, including current availability, service scope, eligibility, costs and support, before announcing it to employees.