Mississippi Insurance Department awards contract to Teladoc for Mississippi Volunteer Firefighters
Firefighters and dependents are eligible to enroll
Lewisville, Texas (Jan. 25, 2016) —Teladoc, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC), the nation's first and largest telehealth provider, announced it has been selected by the Mississippi Insurance Department to provide telehealth services statewide to the 13,000 Mississippi Volunteer Firefighters and their dependents, which includes 24/7 access to Teladoc's quality network of licensed physicians via smart phone or secure online video.
In 2015, the Mississippi State legislature authorized funding and directed the Mississippi Insurance Department to establish a telemedicine medical health plan for volunteer firefighters in the state. Volunteer firefighters individually have the option to enroll in the program through the county fire coordinators.
"Teladoc will be a valuable benefit to the state and our volunteer firefighters. Through Teladoc we can offer our volunteer firefighters and their families affordable, convenient access to quality health care, minimize time away due to illness as well as time spent traveling to and awaiting medical care which is not always available in rural areas," said Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney, who is also the state Fire Marshal.
According to Chaney, the program with Teladoc will also benefit the state by increasing the availability of its firefighters to respond to emergency calls because routine medical conditions can be dealt with promptly.
In offering telehealth consults to its volunteer firefighters, the Mississippi Insurance Department expects the Teladoc program to be a recruiting incentive as demographic changes decrease the pool of available firefighters.
"This is the first statewide program of its kind in the country. We are excited that the Mississippi Insurance Department chose Teladoc to be its telehealth partner," said Cynthia Mark, vice president, Health Plan Strategy for Teladoc. "We're proud to have the opportunity to extend health care coverage within the state and add to our record of providing more than 1 million medical consults to Americans."
About Mississippi Insurance Department
The mission of the Mississippi Insurance Department is to impartially enforce the laws and regulations enumerated in Mississippi Code Ann. Section 83-1-1 et seq., thereby creating an environment conducive to a competitive marketplace for the sale of insurance products and services while providing the State's citizens with the maximum amount of consumer protection. Our aim is to create the highest degree of economic security, quality of life, public safety and fire protection for the State's citizens at the lowest possible cost. To accomplish this mission, we are committed to providing assistance to our customers in a timely, caring and ethical fashion.
About Teladoc
Teladoc, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC) is the nation's first and largest telehealth platform, delivering on-demand health care anytime, from almost anywhere via mobile devices, the Internet, secure video and phone. Teladoc provides consumers with access to its network of more than 2,900 board-certified, state-licensed physicians and behavioral health professionals who provide care for a wide range of non-emergency conditions. With a median response time of less than 10 minutes, Teladoc physicians will have performed more than 575,000 telehealth visits in 2015. Teladoc and its physicians consistently earn a 95 percent member satisfaction rating or better, and Teladoc is the first telehealth provider to be certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its physician credentialing process.
Recognized in June 2015 by MIT Technology Review as one of the "50 Smartest Companies," Teladoc works with health plans, employers, organizations and individuals to provide access to affordable, high-quality health care on-demand. Teladoc is transforming the access, cost and quality dynamics of health care delivery. For more information, please visit teladoc.com, twitter.com/teladoc, facebook.com/teladoc or linkedin.com/teladoc.