American Well

American Well was founded by brothers Drs. Ido and Roy Schoenberg in 2006.[6]

Initially, American Well served health insurance companies as their primary customers.[6] In 2008, the company announced its first major health plan customer: Hawaii Medical Service Association, Hawaii's Blue Cross Blue Shield provider.[7] Since then, the company has added 23 additional Blue Cross Blue Shield Health plans including Wellpoint (now Anthem)[8] and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.[9]

In 2013, the company announced that they would market their service directly to consumers.[4] After the company launched to the general public, the service has surged in usage and popularity.[10]

With 24-hour access to licensed and credentialed physicians, patients can use the service even when their primary care physician is not available.[16] The cost of a visit is typically $49,[4] but a patient's insurance may cover part or all the fee.[17] During the visit, the doctor can diagnose, treat, and depending on the state the patient is in, even prescribe medication.[18] After the visit, the patient receives a secure message with the physician's notes and instructions for follow up care. If the doctor prescribed medication, the prescription would be sent electronically to a pharmacy of the patient's choice.[19][20]

American Well is staffed by physicians in the Online Care Group, a national physician-owned primary care group.[21] Many of the physicians in the group have an average of 10–15 years of clinical experience.[10] They must be licensed and credentialed in multiple states in order to practice effectively online.

Amwell is the direct-to-consumer telehealth platform of American Well. The app connects people with doctors over secure video, without the need for an appointment.