Massachusetts Provides Free COVID-19 Telehealth Services to Uninsured Residents

Doctor On Demand, a virtual care provider, recently launched a partnership with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to provide free virtual medical visits to Massachusetts residents without health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctor On Demand will support uninsured residents who have questions about COVID-19 symptoms or have been identified as needing telehealth care through the state’s COVID-19 contact tracing efforts. This partnership follows a previously announced agreement with MassHealth, the state of Massachusetts’ administrator of Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs, to offer free virtual COVID-19 related visits to the state’s 1.8 million members.

"During the COVID-19 emergency, Massachusetts has made unprecedented efforts to eliminate barriers to health care access, including expansive coverage of telehealth services," says Acting Medicaid Director Amanda Cassel Kraft. "MassHealth is excited to announce this partnership with Doctor On Demand ​to provide medical support to our members and uninsured residents seeking guidance on COVID-19 symptoms or risk factors."

Massachusetts Medicaid members and uninsured residents, including those identified by the contact tracing team, are able to connect with a Doctor On Demand board-certified physician at no cost via live video 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with a current average wait time of less than 10 minutes. Doctor On Demand can be accessed through a smartphone, tablet, or computer by downloading the Doctor On Demand app from the App Store or Google Play, or via www.doctorondemand.com from a web browser.

“This is an important step by the State of Massachusetts to protect some of its most vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 crisis,” says Hill Ferguson, CEO of Doctor On Demand. “We are proud to partner with Massachusetts to deliver immediate, high-quality care to patients in the safety of their home. We hope to see more states follow their lead and significantly expand access to virtual care.”

Doctor On Demand mobilized quickly at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis to support patients and the health care system through preparation, surveillance, triage, and treatment. Doctor On Demand has seen a surge in demand across all 50 states, with almost a 200% increase in patient visits in Massachusetts compared with this time last year. In response to growing demand, Doctor On Demand hired hundreds of physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists, and continues to make platform enhancements to ensure the best possible patient experience.

Source: Doctor On Demand