My Virtual Physician
Easier Access To Specialty Care

Dr. David Howard, Founder And CEO

Telehealth is increasingly recognized as a strategic tool within the healthcare industry due to its ability to offer numerous benefits. These include improved patient health outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and increased access to care for individuals residing in medically underserved communities.

But despite the benefits, telehealth use in the U.S. and globally has been on a downward trend since its peak during the pandemic. One potential reason for this is that many telehealth services only offer urgent care or behavioral health services, rather than specialized consultations, limiting its appeal to patient populations.

This is where My Virtual Physician stands out from other telehealth companies by focusing on providing specialty telehealth consultations. The specialist-driven telehealth company offers a level of expertise and care not typically found in other telehealth services. This is especially important for patients who require specialized care or have complex medical conditions. Providing access to specialists through virtual visits, it improves patient outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and makes healthcare more equitable and accessible.

While My Virtual Physician started with offering OB-GYN consultations, it quickly expanded to include pediatrics, endocrinology, pain management therapeutics, complex primary care, and nutrition care. It will soon add sleep medicine specialists, obstetricians, nephrologists, and hematologists to its roster, further cementing its position as a go-to destination for all specialty care needs.

A vast network of specialty physicians makes My Virtual Physician a reliable source for patients and families to access a highly qualified specialist within hours, resulting in better, cost-efficient outcomes for patients.

“Our mission is to change the status quo of specialty care delivery in hospitals and private clinics. By combining the convenience of telemedicine with the quality of in-person specialist visits, we provide patients with the ability to seek specialty care from the comfort of their homes. Patients no longer have to endure multiple appointments and lengthy wait times to consult with a specialist, as they can now do so with just a smartphone,” says Dr. David Howard, founder and CEO of My Virtual Physician.

A Vision for Telehealth Disruption

Dr. Howard was motivated to improve patient care based on his experience as an OB-GYN specialist. He saw how traditional office hours made it difficult for working women to access care, and recognized this challenge as an opportunity for telehealth to change the conventional model of specialty care delivery. Many OB-GYN visits don’t require pelvic exams and can be conducted through counseling on topics like birth control, irregular periods, and menopause, followed by referrals for lab or imaging tests.

He realized this concept could be applied to many other specialty care areas, such as neurology or pain management, which often begin with counseling visits that can be done virtually. This led Dr. Howard to establish My Virtual Physician with an aim to break down barriers to access and provide patients with the care they need when they need it.

Dr. Howard highlights how America is a tale of two halves, with urban cities having a high concentration of specialist doctors and vast suburban regions where access to specialist care is scarce. “Through My Virtual Physician, we want to solve this uneven distribution of doctors and specialists in the country and ensure people in hard-to-reach regions receive specialized consultations services wherever they need like never before.”

My Virtual Physician has established a robust infrastructure that provides a seamless and efficient patient experience, starting with its smart patient acquisition strategy. Patients can discover its services through various channels, including its highly optimized and dynamic website, designed to rank high on Google search results for a wide range of keywords. For example, if someone types “online OB-GYN” into a search engine, My Virtual Physician’s website will appear on the first page of search results, no matter where the searcher is located in the country.

In addition, My Virtual Physician lists its doctors on other websites, like WebMD and ZocDoc, which patients often use to search for doctors. Once discovered, they can easily book an appointment through the website, which has a self-scheduling option for tech-savvy patients, or a manual booking process for those who may not be as familiar with the technology. It also verifies patients’ insurance information electronically and offers cash prices to those who are not in-network, ensuring everyone can access care without discrimination.

My Virtual Physician assures the consultation is conducted within 24 hours of an appointment being submitted by patients. They are reminded by text or email to keep track of their appointments, and also receive a direct link to join the virtual consultation.

Going above and beyond, My Virtual Physician’s inhouse qualified nurses follow up with patients after the appointment to ensure all necessary orders, referrals, and lab work are completed, providing a convenient and highquality experience for patients seeking medical care.

Bricks and Clicks: A Hybrid Model of Care

The innovative telehealth company is rethinking the premises of telehealth by integrating physical clinics with virtual healthcare services.

In selected locations like Las Vegas, My Virtual Physician has established service centers that look and function like a clinic but extend the reach of telemedicine by providing ancillary services that cannot be done at home. This includes ultrasound, laboratory testing, and EKG services that can be performed in-house instead of referring patients to other facilities. The clinics have a robust infrastructure with stateof- the-art medical equipment for taking patient vitals and collecting samples for diagnostics. They no longer have to go to other lab facilities, and can seek all physicianrecommended lab tests in its hybrid clinic. This streamlines the caregiving process by keeping all patient records internally and ensuring a more efficient and complete 360-degree service.

This hybrid model proves its efficiency as it doesn’t need ample clinic space or doctors to be physically present, but patients can still access all their specialists, gynecologists, pediatricians, or complex primary care specialists. The certified medical assistant (CMS) welcomes and guides them through the process, and connects patients with the specialists remotely through a webcam in a private exam room.

This is also convenient for patients who prefer in-person visits; they can simply walk into one of My Virtual Physician’s service centers and connect with the specialists, bypassing the wait time to get an appointment traditionally seen in private practices.

A Smarter Geriatric Care

My Virtual Physician employs a unique care delivery model that includes collaborating with organizations, including shelters and assisted living facilities, to provide medical care and facilitate laboratory testing for older patients.

This approach aims to eliminate the scarcity of on-site physicians and testing capabilities by partnering with both sides. Recently, My Virtual Physician partnered with a mobile testing company to bring significant advantages to two homeless shelters in Maryland, making it easy for residents to gain access to virtual healthcare services. Since these shelters lacked in-house physicians and were highly packed, they wanted their residents tested for COVID-19 whenever they showed any symptoms to minimize the spread.

My Virtual Physician is on a growth trajectory, with plans to expand its partnerships with mobile testing companies and open more hybrid clinics across the U.S. These clinics will make it easier for patients to access ancillary services and walk-in appointments with their choice of specialists.

By continuing to innovate and push the boundaries of what telehealth can achieve, My Virtual Physician is poised to make a significant impact on the delivery of specialty healthcare services.

The convenient telehealth services, patients can bypass the wait to see a specialist and start their journey toward health and wellness anytime, anywhere.