Batavia residents with ailments like sore throats, stuffy noses or ear infections may no longer need to go to an ER or urgent care to get treatment.
Instead, under a telehealth program the city is considering expanding, they’d have the option to simply text a doctor to figure out what’s wrong and how to treat it.
The program under consideration is called Tap, or “Text a Physician.” It’s a telehealth program that was founded by an ER doctor who “got tired of watching families pay over $1,000” for everyday health issues, per the company’s website.
The text-based service requires no insurance or copay, just a small monthly rate. It’s used by more than 780 public entities, the company’s website says.
In July, the city of Batavia rolled out the program for city employees, according to Director of Human Resources Wendy Bednarek. It’s being implemented in addition to the city’s existing health insurance plan, she explained at a Batavia City Council Committee of the Whole meeting on Aug. 25.
The idea of the program is to “improve access to health care by providing residents and participating businesses with convenient physician access through secure text messaging, phone (or) video consultation” with a licensed physician, Bednarek said.
And now, the city is considering expanding the program so all residents can use it.
At the Committee of the Whole meeting last week, Brian Davis, a representative for Tap, pitched the program to the city and described how it would work.
“The greatest gift a doctor can give his or her patients is their cellphone number,” Davis said at the meeting.
For those using the service, doctors are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day of the year, Davis said.
“We are putting a doctor in your pocket,” he said. “That’s what we do.”
The service could be used for many common medical conditions, a city memo indicated, like colds and the flu, skin issues, minor illnesses and chronic condition management.
Davis pointed to the village of Algonquin, which has already rolled out the program.
And he explained that it’s paid for by tacking the monthly fee onto residents’ city utility bills. The reason for that, he said, is because “people don’t think about their health until it’s … too late.”.
Bednarek emphasized that the program could be beneficial not just for the uninsured or underinsured, but, for example, people with high-deductible plans.
And, in addition to potentially saving residents who use it money by way of reduced healthcare costs, having the program for city employees already means cost savings for the city by reducing “avoidable ER and urgent care visits” and leading to fewer claims, she said.
The program could also reduce the amount of times EMS are dispatched, Davis said at the meeting.
According to the city’s Benefits and Payroll Supervisor Kathy Enger, residents start the conversation by sending a text, and can expect a response within about two minutes. Those responding to users’ questions are doctors, physician assistants or nurse practitioners, she said.
The program is set to cost Batavia residents $9 monthly, Enger said, which is added to their utility bill. Up to 10 people per household can use the service for that rate, and there is an option to opt out of the program.
The program was generally well-received by members of the City Council, but some questions were raised about how the program is operated and the opt-out method.
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“I really kind of like … the angle this is taking,” Ald. Kevin Malone said at the meeting. “Any way we can get cheaper, better healthcare to people, the better.”
Malone also asked about how the program is administered in terms of billing. To that, Davis said Tap wants the program to be “budget-neutral” and would cover any fees to implement it. Additionally, $1 of the $9 monthly payment for each household would go back to the city to be used for purposes of the city’s choosing, he said. Davis also said Tap would typically offer a five-year contract, which would result in only a small increase in the rate over that time period.
To a question about the maintenance of medical records, Davis said a record is retained for each person in a household, which can be shared with the user.
Like Malone, Ald. Alice Lohman said it “would be amazing to get more access to healthcare to individuals that really need it.”
She also asked how the company identifies possible abuse of medication, to which Davis noted that the physicians have medical malpractice insurance and that the service’s doctors don’t prescribe any controlled substances.
Lohman also asked about the timeframe for implementation, and Davis said it takes a few months to get the utility bill set up, but they’d be hoping to roll the program out in the late fall or winter to catch cold and flu season.
The opt-out component of the program, however, did generate some pushback from the council.
Ald. James Fahrenbach, for example, expressed some criticism about the model, and asked if the city had spoken with the city of Algonquin about the program.
In response, Batavia City Administrator Laura Newman said that Algonquin has had a positive experience with the program. Bednarek also spoke to the necessity of healthcare and pointed out that the city of Batavia will be reaching out to residents to inform them about the program, but noted that some people will inevitably be unhappy about the opt-out model.
Fahrenbach also asked if there was an opt-in option, to which Davis said the low price is in part because of the opt-out model.
Ald. Bob White, meanwhile, suggested that the city get some additional statistical data so it can inform residents about the program and why it’s being administered this way.
And Ald. Alan Wolff added that the city will have to communicate to residents the benefits of the program and why the city should have it.
According to Newman, the next step would be for the city to receive a formal proposal from Tap, which could be presented to the Committee of the Whole as soon as the end of September.