UW Medicine, the Seattle-based University of Washington's healthcare organization, launched a telehealth service in January.
The service, called the UW Medicine Virtual Clinic, is supported by Seattle-based Carena Telemedicine Solutions. The website allows patients to conduct video visits with physicians or nurses at any time for $40, and the providers are able to write prescriptions for some medications, according toXconomy.
The virtual clinic has seen approximately 150 patients in its month of operation, according to the report. The clinic is currently staffed by Carena physicians and nurses until UW Medicine providers are trained on how to use the technology. The telehealth service is currently unavailable to Medicare patients because it is not yet eligible for coverage by the federal program under Washington state law, according to the report.
Carena, founded in 2000, also provides service to CHI Franciscan Health in Tacoma, Wash., and hosts a service called CareSimple that is available to the general public, according to the report.