Hello Health, a Brooklyn, New York–based primary care practice, is a virtual concierge service that eschews the limitations of insurance-based medicine. It is popular and successful, largely because it employs powerful social media tools and web-based technology. Patients can go to their doctor’s Facebook page to read about his or her personal interests. Patients who need a consult but cannot visit the office can send an instant message to their physician for quick and free advice. For complicated issues, patients are asked to come into the office. Appointments are booked online, and most communication is done electronically.

Many of the services that Hello Health offers require a nominal signup fee, which allows patients to participate in “cybervisits” with their personal physician. More than 300 patients enrolled in the year it launched, and the high demand forced the practice to open another office. Because it was a software company first and a healthcare entity second, it ensured that its participating practices were at the cutting edge of cybermedicine. The Canadian software company Myca, which established Hello Health and markets its products, provides practices with back-office support, such as billing for remote care.

Hello Health has found that important by-products of using social media and web capabilities are patient-centered healthcare and patient happiness. For healthcare consumers who do not have health insurance or are underinsured, the Hello Health model has particular appeal. For a fraction of the cost of an insurance premium, an enrollee can get easy access to a physician but pay only when care is rendered.

Questions 

1. How is the Hello Health practice different from most physician practices?

2. What unusual services does the practice offer?

3. How does the practice employ social media for customer service?

4. What are the benefits of this innovative practice arrangement?