Toronto-based healthtech startup Dialogue is partnering with Doctor On Demand, a virtual care provider in the United States (US) to give enterprise clients the ability to offer virtual healthcare to employees visiting the US.
“We see a unique opportunity to connect more consumers to high-quality health care while they are travelling across borders.”
Through Doctor On Demand, Dialogue members can connect with board-certified physicians, licenced in the US state where they are travelling, and receive a diagnosis and the appropriate treatment plan via video visit. This collaboration will allow more than 300,000 Canadians to access care. Dialogue’s Canadian enterprise clients will now have the option to offer US coverage as an add-on, starting in January 2020.
“With now more than 500 companies across Canada offering access to Dialogue to their employees, we are always looking to go above and beyond to better respond to the needs of our patients,” said Cherif Habib, co-founder and CEO of Dialogue.”Many of our patients often travel to the United States for work or leisure. Their employers will now have the option to offer them access to virtual care so that they can travel with ease.”
This year has seen many new developments in the virtual healthcare space. In the spring, three medical organizations launched a virtual health task force to examine virtual care technology and how it can improve access and quality of care for patients across the country.
RELATED: Procurement could be Canada’s biggest barrier to commercializing healthtech innovation
Dialogue closed a $40 million funding round earlier this year, and launched its virtual mental healthcare program in October. The program offers resources to employers who wish to provide quick mental healthcare and support to employees.
Through the partnership with Doctor On Demand, prescriptions can be picked up by the patient in the nearest US-based pharmacy. Members will be able to see a Doctor On Demand physician with an average wait time of five minutes or less, or they can browse physician profiles and schedule an appointment. This partnership allows Dialogue members to have access to Doctor On Demand’s medical services in all 50 states.
“We see a unique opportunity to connect more consumers to high-quality health care while they are travelling across borders, and we look forward to improving access for Dialogue’s growing population of Canadian members,’ said Hill Ferguson, CEO of Doctor On Demand.
Image source Unsplash. Photo by Artur Tumasjan.
