Virtual Primary Care Helps Patients Build Better, Faster Connections With Doctors

CHICAGO, July 12, 2022 (Newswire.com) - First Stop Health^® (FSH), a leading virtual care company, recently introduced Virtual Primary Care to members of its employer-clients throughout the US. Virtual Primary Care connects patients to primary care doctors that are part of the FSH virtual practice, who can provide care for preventive and chronic issues, as well as urgent care concerns.

The early results demonstrate the power of Virtual Primary Care, which is connecting patients to FSH doctors in less than 5 days for preventive and chronic care visits - much faster than the 24-day average Americans wait to see a doctor in-person. Virtual Primary Care patients are also spending 30 minutes (on average) with a FSH primary care doctor. Over 50% of traditional, in-person, primary care physicians spend less than 15 minutes with their patients.  

"We're excited to have clients, their employees and loved ones using this solution, which has been in development for more than a year," said Teira Gunlock, President at FSH. "Virtual Primary Care evolved from and builds on patient engagement with our Telemedicine service. It focuses on establishing trusted patient-doctor relationships, improving patient adherence to clinical guidance, and addressing gaps in chronic disease management and prevention." 

Virtual Primary Care can be combined with Virtual Mental Health, which delivers short-term, solution-focused counseling for a variety of mental well-being concerns, such as anxiety, stress, depression, substance use and more. With Virtual Primary Care, FSH doctors can now deliver whole-person, digital-first care for the mind and body. 

FSH recently conducted a primary care survey and received more than 8,000 responses from members. When asked what the most difficult part is about getting healthcare - 34% indicated cost, 33% indicated time and 17% indicated not understanding their benefits or insurance. Members also shared the most important factor in getting care is to talk with a doctor quickly and the second-most important factor is feeling comfortable with their doctor.  

A member who recently used Virtual Primary Care shared: "The convenience of it all. Being able to request a visit quickly and easily. The visit lasted about 40 minutes in total, much longer than a typical in-person visit with a doctor would be. She took the time to get to know more about me personally." You can see more member reviews here. 

Primary care is a key to addressing numerous healthcare barriers, but only 60% of Americans have or use a primary care physician (PCP). When people have greater access to effective primary care they receive more recommended preventive services, have a reduction in unnecessary and expensive specialist care and surgery, have lower self-reported poor health and depression rates, and have lower mortality rates. 

Plus, more than 50% of employer claims costs are attributed to chronic disease, which can be directly impacted by primary care visits. In fact, people who have a PCP save 33% on annual healthcare expenditures compared with their peers who only see specialists.

Virtual Primary Care members can schedule virtual visits via app, website or phone with a preferred doctor from within the FSH virtual practice. FSH doctors are available to consult with patients and coordinate care for labs, imaging and procedure orders, manage medications, refer patients to in-network specialists and provide care follow-up. Plus, virtual visits with FSH doctors are free to patients and incur no medical claims - saving money for employers and their workers. 

To learn more about First Stop Health, visit www.fshealth.com. 

About First Stop Health 

First Stop Health provides care that people love^® with various digital healthcare services. Patients can access virtual care 24/7 via app, website or phone. We help them save time and money with safe, convenient, high-quality virtual care solutions - Telemedicine, Virtual Mental Health and Virtual Primary Care. FSH drives the utilization of our virtual care solutions with continuous, targeted member engagement, delivers an amazing patient experience and ensures high-value, client performance. 

Media Contact

Nick Severino | VP, Marketing | First Stop Health 

888-691-7867 x-410 | [email protected]

Source: First Stop Health