Cleveland Clinic Brings Virtual Visits To Smartphones

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A consultation is never more than a few seconds away with Cleveland Clinic’s latest app.

Cleveland Clinic’s MyCare App can turn your smartphone into a doctor’s office. Through a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer, the new app connects patients to a doctor for a fee of $49 per interaction. According to Fierce Mobile Healthcare, the app puts patients in contact with nurses and doctors who can then advise callers on conditions like colds, flus, or rashes.

The app’s description reads, “Simply put, MyCare Online is healthcare that fits into your life. Instead of coming into the office for your next follow-up visit, patients can now opt to participate in this innovative program and visit their Cleveland Clinic provider live and online using a computer, tablet or smartphone.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Dr. Peter Rasmussen, the Clinic's medical director for distance health, said MyCare Online will work in much the same way as the Health Spot kiosks introduced to Cleveland last year. “[Clinic CEO Toby] Cosgrove's goal for 2015 is for us to provide access any time, anywhere, and this is part of that strategy,” Rasmussen said. He goes on to say patients should expect to be connected to a healthcare professional in less than a minute.

Analytics embedded in the app will report how many people are using it, what kind of issues they’re reporting, and how long they wait for help. Officials say they would like the service to eventually be available 24 hours a day.

John Jesser, Anthem's vice president of provider strategy explained, “People don't understand that it's even possible to see a doctor this way. Those who have used it love it.”

“We think this is a great thing for patients,” Rasmussen said. “We want to head off concerns before they become so serious that they end up in the emergency room. It's better for patients and it's obviously better for us.”