U.S. Patent & Trademark Office greenlights Teladoc's patent case against competitor
Lewisville, Texas (September 16, 2015) — This week the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) agreed to move forward with Teladoc's (NYSE:TDOC) case to invalidate a patent held by rival American Well Corporation. The PTO's order to proceed with the case, issued September 14, noted that Teladoc has a "likelihood" of prevailing.
"As the pioneer and leader in telehealth, Teladoc has the responsibility to protect consumers' access to health innovations like telehealth," said Jason Gorevic, chief executive officer of Teladoc. "We're proud to stand up for telehealth and can't allow those who would suppress competition to take away access to the benefits of a safe, convenient and affordable health care option. We are pleased that the PTO has acknowledged the strength of our petition and its likelihood of success."
In March 2015, Teladoc requested the PTO review and invalidate a patent held by American Well relating to the practice of telemedicine. Teladoc maintains that American Well's claims of being 'first-to-market' are demonstrably false due to the fact that Teladoc and others were providing telehealth services long before American Well was even formed as a company. In addition, Teladoc has noted in previous filings that "the patents in question are impermissibly broad and cover matters that are too obvious to be patented."
The American Telemedicine Association projects there will be 800,000 telehealth consults in the U.S. in 2015; Teladoc is expected to conduct more than 525,000 of those consults, almost twice the amount of the rest of the industry combined.
A final ruling in the case before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is expected in 2016.
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. More than 12.5 million U.S. members are connected to Teladoc's network of over 1,500 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 perform more than 525,000 telehealth visits in 2015. Teladoc and its physicians consistently earn a 95 percent member satisfaction rating or better, and Teladoc is the only telehealth company to be certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its physician credentialing process.
Recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of its "50 Smartest Companies 2015," 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.