A health insurance provider doing business in 14 states has added a “live online” clinician consultation service as a covered benefit for plan members.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said it will include Livehealth Online as a covered benefit in some of its plans. The service connects clinicians remotely to patients anywhere via Skype or similar technology. Its main applications are to answer patient inquiries that might otherwise lead to a trip to an urgent care center or a hospital emergency room, according to an article in the Portland, Maine, Press Herald.

“For Anthem patients, using LiveHealth Online is treated the same as a visit to the doctor, with typical co-pays of $5 or $10. Patients who don't have Anthem but want to use LiveHealth can pay $49 for a 10- to 15-minute consultation,” the Press Herald reported.

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Anthem told the Press Herald that its studies indicate that LiveHealth visits save about $71 per call “primarily because patients can avoid visiting more costly urgent care centers and will be less likely to go to hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency conditions.”

In a statement in July, Anthem discussed the availability of LiveHealth to plan members and discussed its value to patients.

“Members can now use their smart phone, tablet or computer to have a live video visit with a board certified doctor of their choice to discuss non-emergency health issues from home, work or wherever they happen to be as long as they have a Wi-Fi signal or Internet access,” Anthem said.

“This new online care service, LiveHealth Online, launched in 2013 first to large-local and national employers. It has now been expanded to the majority of Anthem’s health plan customers, including health exchange members. Doctors are available 24 hours, 365 days a year, including holidays,” the release said.

LiveHealth clinicians don't have access to patient medical records; they can agree to have a report sent to their primary care team following a LiveHealth visit.

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Dr. Jeffrey Holmstrom, Anthem's medical director and a primary care physician, told the Press Herald LiveHealth will not usurp primary care.

“This will not replace the primary care physician,” Holmstrom said. "This is an opportunity for enhanced access to doctors."