Telemedicine startup Doctor on Demand taps giant health partner to debut virtual primary care plan

Doctor On Demand is paving the way for virtual-first health care, kicking off its primary care offering with nationwide health insurer Humana.

The San Francisco-based telemedicine company, which began as an urgent-care platform, has broadened its reach to include primary, preventative and chronic care — centralized on its digital app active 24/7 via video visits, phone calls and messaging. Humana’s Florida and Texas markets will be Doctor On Demand’s first test of this bridging between patients’ virtual primary care doctor visits and a network of referrals for in-person needs, such as specialists, scans and tests.

“It marks the next frontier in telemedicine,” said Hill Ferguson, CEO of Doctor On Demand. “We are incredibly excited to be the first company to launch virtual primary care.”

Doctor on Demand's services are accessed through health plans, directly to consumers and through employers, with corporate clients including Walmart, American Airlines and NBC. The company is part of a bulging telehealth care market that is forecast to hit $9.49 billion in North America by 2024.