Teladoc Lays Out Its Differentiated Primary Care Strategy

Since Teladoc Health closed on its $18.5-billion acquisition of Livongo, the company has been honing its primary care strategy and working to differentiate its platform and services from other disruptors.

In recent days, Teladoc has begun to lay out its vision for more personalized services, better care coordination and increased access to specialists. In late October, the company launched Primary360, a service now being offered nationally to health plans, employers and other benefits providers. Teladoc hopes to increase access to care, particularly for those who don’t have a primary care physician, and improve quality while reducing costs for plan purchasers.

Teladoc says Primary360 will be differentiated from other virtual-first primary care services like those from Amazon, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna by providing a single platform to overlap with primary, specialty, behavioral and wellness care and treating patients with chronic conditions.

The plan will allow members to choose a primary care provider and work with a care team, which also can help them find in-person providers. Primary360 also makes referrals to in-network facilities if members need physical care and patients can add providers to their care team as needs arise.

To gather baseline data and track members’ health longitudinally, Primary360 sends a blood pressure cuff to each member’s home to help the care team collect data. Teladoc is considering sending more devices to consumers based on their individual care plans, one report notes. The company hopes that its digital strategy coupled with its evolving platform will bring higher levels of patient engagement.