On this episode, Jayme Muller (NMG Communications Manager) talks with David Huerta, Founder and CEO of Whole Person Virtual Care, a virtual medicine practice that solves the access and cost issues in today’s healthcare system with the ultimate concierge approach. Whole Person providers are ER-trained and currently practicing doctors, RNs, nurse practitioners, PAs, and care coordinators.

Listen to learn more about this on-demand care service and how it can work alongside insurance as a unique employee benefit.

CLICK HERE to visit the Whole Person Virtual Care website.

WATCH this episode on YouTube.

See the full transcript below.

Jayme Muller (JM):

Hi! We’re in San Antonio at Nationwide PrimeTime. And I am here with David from Whole Person Virtual Care, and we are going to hear more about the services that they provide and how it benefits members. So oh, and I am Jayme Muller. I am the Communications Manager for Nationwide Marketing Group.

David Huerta (DH):

And I’m David Huerta, CEO of Whole Person Virtual Care. This is our first PrimeTime show. And we are having one heck of an exciting time. The reception of our program has been incredible by the business owners and employees that have stopped by to learn about what we do.

JM:

I love to hear that, David, I was curious how your first PrimeTime was going, so that’s great to hear that.

DH:

It’s been wonderful, Jayme. Absolutely wonderful. Yeah, I’m glad we had as many people at the booth as we did, because the interest level is extremely high based on what’s going on out there in the employee benefit world.

JM:

Good, I know, and I happened to walk past the booth the first day and got to connect with you. It’s just really great to kind of learn more about what you do. And so that’s why we’re here today, just so that the members can understand more about what you do. And I really want to make sure that they do. So, knowing that it’s your first show and that members, it might be very new to them. I know that what you provide is not insurance, right?

DH:

Correct. Yeah. And so the quick backdrop was when Chris Kirk [NMG SVP of Business & Financial Services] learned about what we do, last fall, he was very intrigued. He said this is something every member needs because of what’s going on out there with the cost of insurance and benefits. And so we’re, as Jayme said, we’re not insurance. What we are is access to a virtual medical clinic that is staffed by emergency room providers, emergency room trained staff, physician assistants. Peer coordinators, it’s a whole office staff.

The platform was formed in 2013 by two emergency room doctors, Keith and Mike, who, after a shift, recognized that 85% of the people that went to the emergency room went there not with an emergency. Yeah, they went there because they needed immediate care, was in the middle of the night where they couldn’t wait three days or four days or five days to see their doctor. So they just went to the emergency room. So Keith and Mike sat back and said, how can we help people? And they decided to create a virtual medical clinic. Today, after 12 years is over 5 million patients.

JM:

Wow!

DH:

95% patient satisfaction.

JM:

Okay. That’s huge.

DH:

That’s… it’s huge, especially in today’s world with people complaining a lot. So 95% satisfaction. And, so why is the satisfaction rate so high, Jayme? It’s so high because this is an app-based solution, okay? It sits over every insurance carrier. Doesn’t matter what insurance you offer to your employees.

JM:

So it’s like insurance agnostic?

DH:

Agnostic. Great word. And so. So it doesn’t matter who the carrier is or if you’re self-insured or on Medicare, you just use the app. It’s app-based. So once a person is in the system, they download the app. And when you log in and you need help, there’s four options. Simply four options. I need help now. I’m sick today. I want… my child woke up and has white spots on his or her throat.

JM:

Oh yeah. Serious.

DH:

Once notice is sent to the system, a doctor that’s licensed in your state will call you back within 30 minutes.

JM:

30? Really?

DH:

Within 30 minutes, you’ll be speaking to a provider, who can diagnose and treat. Now, keep in mind, these are emergency room trained doctors, and these providers are trained to solve issues. They’re patient-centered. They don’t… They want to make sure the patient gets what’s needed. And so in my case, when Aubrey woke up with, what I assumed was strep throat, doctor called me back within 30 minutes, asked Aubrey some questions. I sent some pictures over, and within an hour I was picking up penicillin at my in-network pharmacy.

JM:

Wow. So just right down the road? Probably.

DH:

Yeah, exactly. So the app is… you’re accessible 24/7. It’s $0 copay when the member calls.

JM:

That’s huge.

DH:

Huge!

JM:

Copay can really eat into your budget.

DH:

And it’s from the convenience of wherever you’re at. If you’re home, at work, on vacation.

JM:

Okay.

DH:

And so really what we do is we eliminate all barriers to care. People don’t go to the doctor because they can’t get in or it’s too expensive. Here you have access to a doctor within 30 minutes for $0 copay. Yeah.

JM:

Yeah. You can’t beat that. And it sounds like it’s pretty easy to use, right?

DH:

Oh, Jayme, it’s so easy to use. As mentioned, it’s app-based. So once you enroll in the platform, you simply download the app, and then register. Yeah. And then you’re in the system. And within 30 minutes of going through the app, you will have a call back from a provider.

JM:

That’s amazing.

DH:

Now, in my former life, I was a benefits consultant and created a model to compete against insurance carriers because we needed to have transparency in the system.

JM:

So true.

DH:

And yeah, so I spoke nationally. Some of you may know me, to CEOs and CFOs, and I understand that the cost of benefits is the top three, maybe top five business expense. It’s getting expensive. The quality of plans are going down with higher deductibles, higher co-pays, payroll deductions are going up. And so employees aren’t appreciating to the extent that you want them to. And so what we provide is a great solution for quick access to care, convenient and cost effective.

JM:

That’s amazing. So yeah, not only is it beneficial for your own family as maybe a business owner, but also your employees as well.

DH:

Exactly, exactly. For your employees, it’s great. And, the membership fee is, is very, very, cost effective. And when you cover your employee, that includes coverage for their spouse and their children up to age 26.

JM:

Okay, okay.

DH:

It’s a single, per employee, per month charge.

JM:

That’s incredible, too. And I know, you know, the age of insurance for even children has gone up, so that’s nice. They’re kind of really covered you until college, all of those life changes. Right?

DH:

What a great point. Right. So for those of you that have college students out there, this gives them easy access to a fully integrated medical practice. That’s primary care. It’s urgent emergent care. It’s mental health care, and advice or coaching. And it’s reordering refills, labs, diagnostics. And so the doctor will diagnose. Diagnosed Aubrey, my daughter with strep throat. Now, I needed to go get a prescription. So they called a prescription into my local pharmacy. I went and used my insurance card to pay for the prescription. If I don’t have insurance and you would use a GoodRX discount to make up your prescription.

JM:

Yeah, yeah.

DH:

For primary care use, I get my labs done twice a year. I want to know what’s going on inside.

JM:

Exactly.

DH:

And so the doctor, I have my primary care doctor, will order blood panels, and send the order into Labcorp. I go down to Labcorp, and then I swipe my insurance card. So all this is, is access to professional services quickly and affordably.

JM:

Which is so important because you really never know when you could have… It could be an emergency, or it could just be something where you’re not the professional, so you don’t know what’s going on and wanting to be sure. And I love that it does help college students, too, because your college student might be going across the country and you’re not there to help them find a doctor, help them find that support that they need. And if something goes wrong, it’s just peace of mind, right? As a parent.

DH:

Peace of mind as a parent for everyone to have access. It’s truly a concierge medical practice that’s in your back pocket wherever you go.

JM:

Yeah, I love that. And I love that it’s app-based too. I feel like we all have our phones with us 24/7. Right? So if you’re out of the house and you’re like, oh no, I have that information at home, the number I need to call, oh no, it’s just all in your phone. You don’t have to worry about that. And I appreciate that you brought up mental health, too, because I feel like that’s a service that maybe not every insurance provider is going to cover. So this gives that extra coverage.

DH:

Well, exactly what mental health has to be covered. It’s mental Health Parity Act requires mental health coverage. However, there’s issues with timely appointments. Yes, there’s a stigma of being seen. And so this, you have access to mental health counselors from the privacy of your home out of a dorm room, with $0 copay. And by the way, if you like your mental health counselor or you like your primary care doctor, you can schedule appointments to stay with that provider.

JM:

Oh, that’s important.

DH:

Yeah. Important because you get that consistency going and they get to know you. Now when you call in on an urgent or emergent care issue, you know, it’s whoever’s taking the shift. These doctors, Jayme, that are participating. They’re all actively practicing emergency room providers somewhere in the United States. And they simply take shifts for an hour or two hours or hours when they’re not working at a hospital. And so that’s a very unique difference. That’s a big difference because other telemedicine or Teladoc programs are out there using general practitioners, some use specialist, but our men and women are emergency room trained. They have to be able to diagnose and treat anything that walks through an emergency room door. Whether it be conjunctivitis or whether it be a tendon or whether it be appendicitis. The only thing they don’t do is surgery.

JM:

Yeah. Then they’d be referred.

DH:

Right.

JM:

How does the referral process work?

DH:

Oh great question. So, referral process, because these are the highest trained providers, Jayme. They diagnose and treat 96% of calls that come in. So, 96% of the callers are going to get diagnosed and treated on the first encounter. If a referral needs to be done, the care coordinator will identify who your insurance carrier is. Who a specialist is for orthopedics, say, in your area and help you coordinate a referral to that specialist.

JM:

Okay, so you don’t even have to really worry about, I need to go find who is in my network, all of that. So that’s kind of when the insurance kicks back in and helps with that. But they, but the fact that they coordinate all of that for you, because sometimes, especially when you are dealing with a medical issue, it’s so frustrating to then have to do all these other steps, get on the phone, try to make an appointment. That’s the last thing you want to do, when you don’t feel good. Or when your child doesn’t feel good.

DH:

Right, You need an advocate. And that’s what we are. We’re people advocates. You know, understanding the insurance industry the way I do, it’s confusing to people. This makes it a very simple process. As their advocate, they get the care they need and then they get guided if needed.

JM:

I love that. I agree, insurance can be very confusing for the average person, definitely myself included. And so anything that can simplify it, you just, you know, call this number, click this button. It’s just so easy. We don’t need to go through multiple hoops when we need something now. We need help now. 30 minutes. That’s amazing.

DH:

Yeah. Jayme, it’s I mean, you can’t get into a dermatologist for six months so they can diagnose and treat dermatological issues. It’s just an all-encompassing. One-stop shop.

JM:

Just covers so many, like, such a broad range of things to not just, oh, I have a cold. Oh, you know, I don’t feel good. And I mean, it could be, it could be anything.

DH:

Could be anything. Exactly. So I have a lot of examples and I’ll use a basic example. I was speaking to a member. A week and a half ago. And she believes in homeopathy, the natural approach to medicine. But she needs to get her labs done four times a year. Well, her doctor doesn’t want to give her referrals for lab work because of the way they’re reimbursed. It would cost the doctor money. So here now she’s bypassing or getting direct access to a provider who wants to get labs ordered. They order the labs. She goes to Labcorp or Quest, whoever the in-network provider is. Gets the labs done. You know, when she swipes her insurance card. And then she now has a new primary care doctor. If you’re out on vacation and you forgot your thyroid medicine… you’re on vacation, you forgot your blood pressure medicine. Get in contact and they’ll call an order in or prescription near you.

JM:

That’s great, because, I mean, we all forget things when we pack, right? There’s always something and hopefully not the medicine. But once in a while it happens, you know. And so that’s really… or even, I’m assuming, like, say you get sick on vacation, like you said, you’re in a different state. You don’t have your normal doctor, your normal pharmacy. You’re still able to access the medicine that you need, if you have to have it.

DH:

And to take it one step further now in that direction. If you’re on vacation and you’re in a different state when you’re give notice, part of the notification is where you’re located. So you’re going to have a licensed provider from the state you’re in call you back. So because they’re licensed in that state they can write a prescription.

JM:

Ah. So there’s no extra hoops. It’s just very seamless.

DH:

And another thing I’d like to mention, if you don’t mind, like that these are real people. It’s not AI. It’s not an AI nurse. It’s not an AI, it’s a real doctor. A real nurse. There’s real people that you’ll be speaking to.

JM:

That’s so important because I personally do not want AI diagnosing me. No, I know it has come a long way, but I really want a person who can be seeing other patients who’s been there and I know you mentioned earlier to you that, you know, the providers who are taking these shifts, you know, on call, they’re actually active in the emergency room. So you know that they’re up to date on all their credentials, all their education. Because obviously anyone in the medical field, they have to continuously go through, new licen- you know, making sure their license is up to date, making sure, like, this isn’t just somebody who’s like, oh, yeah, I used to practice five years ago, and I’m not really currently up to speed on, you know, what’s going on now.

DH:

Great point. Exactly.

JM:

Yeah. No, that’s all excellent to hear. I feel like we’ve covered a lot, but is there anything that we didn’t cover that you might want to share.

David:

No it’s… yeah. Thank you for your time. This has been wonderful. Appreciate any interest that you may have. The QR code that’s on the, that you’re looking at… Now, if you go follow the QR code, it’ll take you to our website. Yeah. There’s testimonials. There’s a video on there and we can help HR communicate the messaging out to employees. And I’m going to end with a quote that I just got yesterday. One of the members was walking by with his family and his son, Lorenzo, listened. And before he left, he touches my shoulder and he says, you know what, David? You’re going to save a lot of people. Ten-year-old. So, thank you for your time and your interest in learning more about Whole Person.

JM:

Thank you. David, I’m so glad we had a chance to chat. And so that all the members of Nationwide can learn more about Whole Person Virtual Care. And again, as David said, scan the QR code. We’ll also have a link in the show notes, so you’ll be able to access it there, too, if you don’t want to scan the code. But we’ll have all the information that they can need to follow up.

And please do, please do connect with David, connect with his team and learn more. Even if you just have questions, you know, there’s no judgment with having questions. There’s absolutely no reason that you can’t just, you know, see what it’s about and just learn more. If you didn’t get a chance to at PrimeTime. So we hope you do.

DH:

Thank you very much.

JM:

Of course! Thank you!

DH:

Thank you