FirstCare Health Plans and MDLIVE Bring Telemedicine to West Texas

PR Newswire

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, officials at FirstCare Health Plans were pleased to announce that FirstCare has teamed up with MDLIVE to provide its members with access to board-certified doctors, licensed therapists and more; all through the new telemedicine program, FirstCare Virtual Care—powered by MDLIVE. Members will be able to access a provider, 24/7/365, through the use of their smartphone, tablet or desktop computer.

As of January 1, 2019, FirstCare members will have access to the FirstCare Virtual Care program, marking the final phase in a multi-phased launch which began in late 2018. FirstCare first rolled out this program to its TRS-ActiveCare members in September 2018. The next phase launched in mid-November 2018 and included FirstCare's Medicaid and CHIP member populations—becoming the first managed care organization (MCO) in the state to provide this benefit to our members. This last phase encompasses all commercial membership—including employer groups and individual enrollments through the Health Insurance Marketplace—and Medicare members. Members can find out more by visiting FirstCare.com/VirtualCare.

"We are excited to introduce this telemedicine benefit to all of our membership," said FirstCare Chief Medical Officer Adolfo Valadez, M.D., M.P.H. "The FirstCare Virtual Care program will help our members eliminate the barrier of physically traveling to a provider's office or emergency department for non-emergent care. With some of the distances our members must travel to reach a doctor or therapist, this program allows us to deliver access to care and consultative services conveniently from our members' home, office, or wherever they are…24 hours a day, seven days a week, year round."

The FirstCare membership populations mentioned above all have access to FirstCare Virtual Care—powered by MDLIVE at no additional cost; however, FirstCare ASO member groups will have to choose whether or not to purchase the program separately for their employees. Members will be able to access the program via the FirstCare Member Self-Service portal, downloading the MDLIVE mobile app, or calling to speak directly with an MDLIVE representative at 1-800-718-5082.

About FirstCare Health Plans
At FirstCare, our mission is to work together to serve our customers and build healthier communities—one member at a time. Since 1985, we've been serving the health care needs of members across North, West, and Central Texas. Today, our service area includes 143 counties, with local offices in Abilene, Amarillo, Lubbock, and corporate offices in Austin, Texas. We offer a wide range of HMO, PPO, HSA, and ASO products through a variety of programs, including small and large employer plans; state, federal and teacher plans; government programs; and the Health Insurance Marketplace. With the support of our owners, Covenant Health in Lubbock and Hendrick Health System in Abilene, we serve over 150,000 members. For more information, please visit FirstCare.com.