Businesses today are always looking for ways that can help them cut costs and save money and this is particularly true when it comes to healthcare. The Affordable Care Act did change the way some businesses approach healthcare in general, but they are still looking for ways to help limit costs and help employees limit the times they have to go to the doctor to save time and money. One of the new and innovative approaches this is being handled by many companies is through the use of a new technology application known as Sherpaa, an application and healthcare consultant technology that may change the way healthcare is handled today.
What is Sherpaa?
Sherpaa is a consultant application that companies can sign up for so that employees can have access to doctors at any time right over the Internet. Through the use of the application and employee can seek medical advice from a doctor at any time of the day or night for any questions they may have. The consultation takes place over a secure and private messaging system set up with the Sherpaa application so there is confidentiality and all laws are adhered to. The service allows companies to save a great deal of money in insurance costs as many issues and conditions can be diagnosed right through the system and without the need of a visit to a doctor’s office. This is beneficial to the company and the employee as the employee is less likely to have to use their health insurance for an office visit and have the need for fewer sick days, meaning they are missing less time at work.
The Drawbacks to Sherpaa Right Now
Sherpaa does have its limitations at the moment. As it is still growing it is only available in the New York area right now and to businesses in the region. Since physical exams are not possible through the service, if there is something that the doctor online cannot diagnose without physically seeing he patient, the patient will need to make an office visit to a doctor. Sherpaa does have referrals and can make appointments for patients so that can be done quickly, but it is a drawback to the current system and if specialists are needed to be seen that can still be costly for the patient and the employer.
Sherpaa has been in use for a few years now and has proved successful for the businesses using it, such as Tumblr, helping them cut healthcare costs. There are also plans for other companies to explore applications and services of this same nature as they have seen the success that Sherpaa has had so far. Google has announced plans to start looking into a similar service of their own and there are other services that make use of telemedical services today as well. If these services prove effective and useful more people will be able to take advantage of technology to help them stay healthier without having to go to a doctor’s office.