New York Blues Support Web Care Effort

June 09, 2010 at 08:00 PM

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Two health carriers in New York will be helping plan members consult with in-network doctors through the Internet.

BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York and BlueShield of Northeastern New York, units of HealthNow New York Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., will be making the new Online Care NY service available to network physicians and plan members over the next few months.

HealthNow will start by having Northeastern New York Blue test the service on a small group of physicians and its own employees starting Aug. 1, HealthNow says.

HealthNow has introduced the program in Las Vegas, at a meeting organized by America's Health Insurance Plans, Washington.

Plan enrollees who use the service can use the telephone or any Internet connection to have "immediate live encounters with credentialed physicians from the plans' established provider networks," HealthNow says.

The participating doctors will be able to see the patients' clinical information, speak with and see the patients, prescribe medications, and suggest follow-up care, HealthNow says.

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