echo point
Tradock Health announced on monday it is working with Amazon Voice-activated, 24/7 non-emergency general medical care available through select smart speakers. Customers will be able to access Teladoc on Alexa using supported Echo devices including Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show.
A spokesman declined to disclose the terms of the partnership.
Initially it will be an audio-based telemedicine service video According to the announcement, the visit is coming, but no specific date was provided.
Device-enabled customers can simply say “Alexa, I want to talk to a doctor” to connect with the Teladoc call center for a virtual visit related to non-medical emergencies. This may include advising about your child’s earache or advice related to Covid-19, as well as counselling about the flu, cough or infection.
Depending on call volume and queue length, customers should typically receive a call back from Dr. Teladoc via an Echo device within 15 minutes. However, due to the Covid-19 crisis, members may currently be waiting longer than usual. Predge, N.Y.-based Teladoc said the cost per visit will depend on the insurance, which can be as low as $0 for insured customers who don’t have to pay a copay, or as low as $0 for the uninsured. Fees can be as low as $75.
“Our goal with this launch is to make healthcare more accessible to our customers,” Teladoc chief product officer Donna Boyer said in an email provided by a representative.
Some patients have Connect Carefully with Alexa At hospitals like Cedars-Sinai and Boston Children’s, as well as some assisted living facilities, Seattle-based Amazon touts the use of smart speakers as an easy way to communicate with employees.
Health tech companies have also developed apps based on Alexa’s voice-activated technology. Nurx launches Alexa’s Birth Control and Sexual Health Knowledge skill last year so people can easily get birth control reminders and answers to their sexual health questions.
The partnership is a testament to a broader shift in healthcare, with otherwise competing companies looking for opportunities to collaborate. Teladoc and Amazon Care (Amazon’s virtual and in-person care delivery business, transitioning from pilot model to now available) National) to compete in telehealth.Actually many network ink has been spilled on regardless Teladoc should be wary of Amazon CareBut the partnership seems to suggest that fierce competitors can also collaborate where it makes sense — in this case, leveraging the network of virtual doctors that Teladoc has built over the years and consumer technology built into many homes.
“We’re excited to partner with Teladoc Health to provide our customers with an easy, hands-free way to connect with physicians,” Debra Chrapaty, vice president and chief operating officer of Amazon Alexa, said in a statement. “Whether they’re caring for a sick child in the middle of the night or wanting to ask their doctor about allergies between meetings during the day, we hope this experience will help customers find the convenient help they want in the comfort of their own home. “
Image: Amazon
