This year’s dominant flu strain is making people sicker than any in recent years and could end up costing employers nearly $10 billion in lost productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Our new Doc on Demand service—remote medical advice and care—is an efficient and convenient way to consult with a doctor in real time, especially during this flu season. The Doc on Demand allows you to connect with board-certified doctors 24/7 using your phone, tablet, or computer. Just like an in-person visit, the doctor takes your history and symptoms, performs an exam, and may recommend treatment—including prescriptions and lab work. There are many conditions that Doc on Demand physicians can often treat effectively through a video visit—including a sudden rash, a mild muscle sprain, an upset stomach, and flu-like symptoms. For more serious or life-threatening conditions, a visit to a local urgent care center, your physician, or a local hospital is important.
To take advantage of this Doc on Demand benefit, visit www.DoctorOnDemand.com or download the app from the App Store on your smartphone. Be sure to add CDPHP as your insurance provider to receive the correct pricing. You may also call the Doc on Demand CDPHP support team for assistance at (518) 641-3100 or toll free at (877) 724-2579, or email the CDPHP support team at support@doctorondemand.com.
If you need to visit an urgent care center, St. Peter’s Partners has opened a new Urgent Care Center. The new center is located at1300 Massachusetts Avenue in Troy, at St. Mary’s Hospital. The new center is staffed by emergency-trained providers and offers walk-in care for urgent and non-urgent illnesses and injuries at a lower cost than an emergency care visit. The urgent care center can handle a variety of medical problems that need to be treated right away, but are not considered life-threatening emergencies.
The St. Peter’s Urgent Care at St. Mary’s is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week for all ages. In addition, they offer an online scheduling tool, “Skip the wait,” which allows patients to select a time that is convenient for them. For more information, you may call (518) 268-5234 or visit the website at http://www.sphp.com/urgent-care-smh.
Should you have questions regarding the new Doc on Demand benefit and/or the new St. Peter’s Urgent Care at St. Mary’s Hospital, call Lou Padula, director of benefits, pensions, and HRIS at (518) 276-6164 or email him at padull@rpi.edu.
Curtis Powell, SPHR
Vice President for Human Resources