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DeWITT-Excellus BlueCross BlueShield on Nov. 29 announced it will offer a telemedicine option to all privately insured and Medicare Advantage members in 2017.
Excellus will use MDLIVE as its telemedicine platform beginning Jan. 1, 2017, the health insurer said in a news release. Rochester-based Excellus is Central New York's largest health insurer.
MDIJVE is a Sunrise, Florida-based "telehealth provider of online and on-demand healthcare delivery services," according to its website.
Telemedicine, or remote medical care, involves the patient and the provider when they're in separate locations but linked by telephone or a secure two-way video connection.
Excellus said it acknowledges and "wants to emphasize" that a patient's primary-care physician provides the "best care" because the doctor "knows you best."
"But in our rapidly changing world ... face to face visits aren't always possible for families and patients. So, telemedicine is an alternative that is gaining rapid popularity...