HealthTap Expands Access to Affordable Primary Care to 280 Million Americans By Accepting Insurance for All Visits

June 13, 2024 at 08:00 AM EDT

Enabling access to affordable primary care in all 50 states, more than 80 percent of U.S. patients can now use their insurance for online clinical visits, including in-network coverage for traditional Medicare members

HealthTap, a leading virtual healthcare provider delivering affordable, high-quality primary care, today announced that patients in all 50 states can now use their insurance when seeking virtual primary care visits on the HealthTap platform. With standard copays, patients have access to a wide range of clinical services whenever they need it.

HealthTap now accepts most coverage types¹ and is covered in-network by many payers, including traditional Medicare and a growing list of commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans. The company’s payer-agnostic approach makes it a great option for both general healthcare consumers and any organization (accountable care organizations, Medicare Advantage plans, employers, health systems, retailers, etc.) looking for a scalable virtual care partner that can supplement and integrate seamlessly into a patient experience. Flexibility to accept all kinds of insurance, a great patient experience, and an ability to plug into existing systems and processes are key features that many organizations look for in a virtual primary care partner.

In a beta period earlier this year, 95 percent of patients who visited a HealthTap provider using insurance gave the experience the highest rating of five out of five stars.

“Today is a huge step forward for achieving our mission to place a quality primary care doctor at everyone’s fingertips — no matter where they live or how they pay for their care,” said HealthTap CEO and Co-founder Sean Mehra. “Every American deserves access to comprehensive, compassionate healthcare that is integrated and relationship-driven. By adding an insurance payment option to our industry-leading patient experience, we’re expanding access to high-quality care at affordable rates.”

Studies have shown that seeing a primary care provider is foundational to improving health outcomes, but more than 100 million Americans lack usual access to primary care, a number that has doubled since 2014.

However, with HealthTap, patients with or without insurance can schedule an appointment in minutes with their choice of board-certified providers. HealthTap allows patients to build deep, long-term relationships with the same primary care doctor who can support them with all aspects of their health, including screening, prevention, and treatment of chronic conditions. Patients can see their dedicated doctor synchronously (video or phone) on their own terms and can follow up via text with questions or concerns for 90 days following their encounter.

There is a significant primary care gap for Medicare members, with studies indicating that approximately one-third don’t have a primary care provider. By adding support for traditional Medicare members, HealthTap provides 34 million Americans with in-network coverage to easily access a provider of their choice.

HealthTap clinical services are also supported by the latest in generative artificial intelligence (AI), including its proprietary Dr.A.I.™ technology, a pre-appointment patient interview experience powered by GPT-4. With the ability to intuitively gather information conversationally from patients, Dr. A.I. both streamlines clinical visits and reduces clinical burden for providers.

“As one of the first virtual care providers to integrate GPT-4 into the clinical workflow, we understand the power that generative AI holds to lower overall healthcare costs while delivering the highest-quality care possible,” said. Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Geoffrey Rutledge, MD.“Looking forward, we will continue to innovate our services and will be partnering with premier organizations that are eager to make the most advanced and efficient virtual primary care available to their populations.

About HealthTap

HealthTap is a virtual primary care medical group focused on expanding the reach and accessibility of primary care across America.

We partner with health plans, health systems, IDNs, accountable care organizations (ACOs), at-risk providers, and employers to provide extremely cost-effective, quality virtual primary care in all 50 states with attractive fee-for-service or value-based care arrangements.

Our proprietary and engaging platform integrates seamlessly into existing patient workflows, EMRs, and care channels. Patients served can choose and see the same doctor over time as well as enjoy same day/week appointments, fast doctor responses by text from their dedicated doctor, and 365-day urgent care with median wait time less than 1 minute.

For more info, visit healthtap.com

¹Excluding Medicaid currently