Teladoc’s newest program, Primary360, will be available for all Christian Brothers Employee Benefit and Religious Medical Trust members beginning January 2023 at no additional cost*. This primary care offering is designed to remove longstanding barriers to care, such as access, cost and lack of convenience, especially for those who do not have an ongoing relationship with a primary care provider.
Primary360 offers long-term, whole-person care by phone or video with a board-certified primary care provider (PCP). Participants will be able to choose a primary care doctor just as they would if they were visiting an in-office provider and schedule regular appointments for their physical and mental health, including referrals to specialists and in-person care whenever needed.
Eligible adults—ages 18 years and older—can use Primary360. Primary360 is ideal for those who don't currently have a primary care provider or who see their primary care provider less often than they should. Participants can activate their benefit by scheduling an annual checkup by visiting mycbs.org/health; using the Teladoc app or by calling 800.TELADOC. Participants will have access to ongoing care that can be scheduled in advance; unlimited messaging with a dedicated Care Team that provides personalized health advice and seek care for:
Annual checkups
Ongoing wellness visits
Managing chronic conditions
Complex medical needs
Monitoring blood pressure
General health concerns
*For those with a Health Savings Account, physician consult fees will apply: $165 for a new participant/annual checkup and $99 per primary care consultation.
A new patient can expect to spend 30-45 minutes with their chosen primary care provider discussing family and personal medical history, risk factors, medications and health challenges. The primary care provider will define health goals and identify tools needed for a patient’s care. As a follow-up, relevant lab or diagnostic tests may be needed. A Care Team will help schedule these services, and test results will be presented on a patient’s Teladoc Care Team Messages page. The primary care provider will then follow up to discuss results after testing is complete. After a visit, the primary care provider and Care Team will create a personalized care plan that will always be accessible through a patient’s Teladoc account.
Virtual primary care visits meet the recommended guidelines for a preventive visit from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Prior to a visit, the primary care provider will review information provided through a Primary360 Assessment. During the visit, they will review a patient’s blood pressure (recorded from the blood pressure cuff that will be sent to a patient once an appointment is scheduled), assess body mass index by reviewing height and weight, and have an in-depth discussion about a patient’s family and personal medical history. Video visits are preferred, and participants are able to upload images of anything a patient would like the doctor to specifically look at.
Christian Brothers Health Benefit Services now partners with MyCatholicDoctor, a nationwide organization that brings a network of faithful medical professionals to patients through video visits for general medicine, behavioral health and specialty care.
Christian Brothers Employee Benefit Trust participants will have access to providers who practice evidence-based scientific medicine from a Catholic perspective and integrate Catholic spirituality into its care as appropriate to the situation. MyCatholicDoctor physicians can provide virtual primary care, consultation and Catholic second opinions.
Participants can make an appointment by visiting mycbs.org/health and clicking on “MyCatholicDoctor.” Once an appointment is scheduled, participants will receive a link to an online consultation room for a video visit via Zoom. Most visits will be handled through the telehealth option. If in-person care is necessary, providers will offer a home visit or invite participants to be seen in their office or give a referral to a trusted local provider.
All MyCatholicDoctor healthcare professionals agree to practice in accordance with the following documents:
The Ethical and Religious Directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The ethical position statements of the Catholic Medical Association
For those with a Health Savings Account, physician consult fees will apply: $200 per medical visit (MD, DO, PA, APRN or DPT) and $100 per visit with an Allied health provider (including natural family planning instructors, health coaches, nutritionists, dementia coaches, etc.).
For more information, log into mycbs.org/health and click on the MyCatholicDoctor link or call 888.822.8436.
The American Diabetes Association, in its annual Standards of Care, reports that telemedicine may increase access to care for people with diabetes, noting that interactive strategies that facilitate communication between providers and patients appear more effective.
Furthermore, the ADA surmises that reaching treatment goals could help people living with type 2 diabetes increase their life expectancy by three years or in some cases by as much as 10 years.
Livongo, which offers multiple programs to help participants maintain a healthy lifestyle, is offered at no extra cost through the Christian Brothers Employee Benefit and Religious Medical Trusts. Its diabetes program supports people diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes and helps make living with diabetes easier. The program gives participants a connected meter, unlimited strips and unlimited lancets. They also have the option to work with a coach for more guidance.
Livongo has now taken its programs even further, expanding its offerings to include diabetes prevention and weight management, at no additional cost for all participants.
133 million Americans are living with diabetes or prediabetes, but 84% of them don't know they have it yet. The Livongo Healthy Living and Diabetes Prevention program is available through our Teladoc Health benefit and can help participants at risk for type 2 diabetes. The program doesn’t cost anything and helps participants focus on living a healthier life. It also helps them lose weight and provides participants with a smart scale to automatically track their progress.
Within the program, participants will have access to a CDC-recognized program that focuses on lifestyle behavior changes to achieve health goals through:
Effortless data collection: Cellular scale provides seamless weigh-ins and food and activity tracking to understand lifestyle habits.
Personalized health signals: Lessons provide evidence-based strategies for healthy living and health challenges to drive small changes for big wins!
Human-centered approach: Coach-led meet ups for support and accountability and 1:1 live coaching from Livongo expert coaches.
Participants may also qualify for a blood pressure monitor and/or blood glucose monitor.
Take a look at how Livongo's motivation and support inspired this participant’s health journey.
EBT Participants:
Active RMT Participants (those under 65):
Medicare RMT Participants (those 65 and over and on Medicare):
Participants will start by answering a few questions about their health to see if they qualify for the program. If participants qualify, they will be mailed a Livongo Welcome Kit with instructions on how to get started. The kit is customized based on the program for which they qualify.
In 2019, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S.
In a lengthy pursuit to demystify the cost of healthcare, several initiatives have been underway to comply with the No Surprises Act passed in 2020. With its passage, the Transparency in Coverage (TiC) Final Rule was set in motion, with the overarching goal of providing health care plan pricing transparency.
Ultimately, consumers will be able to search online for any medical procedure and compare its cost by provider, eventually helping consumers better understand the costs associated with their health care. In July, machine-readable files of this data were required to be made publicly available, though these files were mainly meant to be used by developers and not for the average consumer to understand. Now, these anticipated consumer-friendly tools are set to be rolled out in January 2023 with the first 500 “shoppable” services. Full implementation is expected by January 2024.
Christian Brothers Services has been working diligently with a third-party vendor to ensure compliance with the TiC rules and has a preliminary look at the new self-service cost estimator tool. Beginning in January 2023, participants will be able to find procedure costs via their provider finder homepage. Search menus will allow a participant to enter a description for a medical procedure such as “knee surgery” and compare the cost charged by several different providers they choose, providing data for both in-network and out-of-network services. This will permit a participant to see an estimate for their out-of-pocket expenses, providing a clearer understanding of their anticipated cost, allowing them to effectively shop for services.
Once implemented, the TiC rules are expected to guide employers in adopting incentives for consumers to choose more cost-effective care.
Christian Brothers Services will provide a full tutorial on how to navigate the new tool once it is available.
