We at HC Remotely believe that patients who use telemedicine should see the savings of doing check-in and check-out work traditionally done by health care workers in a face-to-face practice.
- Patients will be charged a flat $70 for 1 year of visits
- Patients with qualifying chronic diseases (currently hypertension, diabetes, and/or congestive heart failure) will have the option of submitting blood pressure, blood sugar and/or weight readings on a monthly or quarterly basis.
- Patients who submit the measurements on a regular basis will be eligible for a virtual check-in fee every three months that will include prescriptions and laboratory orders as needed.
- Patients who are not able to submit measurements on a regular basis will be asked to make appointments every three months
Why are HC Remotely’s fees lower than other telemedicine companies?
- Does not accept any private insurance, so it does not have staff focused on insurance prior authorizations or other approvals. The company does not spend any resources negotiating rates with insurance companies. The company does not submit out-of-network claims to insurance companies. In some instances, patients have been able to get their telemedicine costs reimbursed through their insurance company or have the costs count toward their deductible. Health Care Remotely can send you a superbill with all of the elements to submit the claim directly to your insurance company, but the company does not file claims with private insurance companies.
- Does not complete prior authorizations for medications. The company is focused on conditions that have multiple generic medications or low-cost branded medications that do not require prior authorization. If you have a medical condition that requires a medication that needs prior authorization, Health Care Remotely will supply you with the necessary documentation to submit the prior authorization on your own.
- Does not complete prior authorizations for referrals. The company uses software to identify in-network specialists when appropriate.
- Does not does not have a technical team building custom software.
- Does believe that a health care delivery company can deliver high-quality telemedicine at low rates.
Can I get my HC Remotely bills reimbursed through my Health Savings Account (HSA)?
In general, an individual must meet three requirements to be HSA-eligible:
- Be covered by a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). One of the HDHP requirements is imposing at least the statutory minimum deductible prior to paying for covered services. In 2023, the HDHP minimum deductible is $1500 for single coverage and $3000 for family coverage.
- Have no disqualifying coverage (generally any medical coverage that pays pre-deductible)
- Cannot be claimed as a tax dependent by someone else
Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA 2023) that permits HDHPs to provide first-dollar telehealth and other remote care services for plan years beginning after December 31, 2022 and before January 1, 2025.
HSA information summarized from Brian Gilmore’s December 27, 2022 post on Newfront’s blog.