Doctor on Demand vs Teladoc: Which is Better for Mental Health?

Telehealth services are mushrooming worldwide. With massive competition between these platforms, choosing the right one is tough.

Nowadays, it is not just limited to mental healthcare post-COVID-19. It is also about comprehensive mental and physical well-being. Therefore, it becomes important more than ever for virtual healthcare platforms to integrate multiple health services across the board.

We’ll explore Teladoc vs. Doctor on Demand in this article.

About Doctor on Demand

Doctor on Demand by Included Health was founded in 2013 by Adam Jackson, Jay McGraw, and Phil McGraw. It is headquartered in California, USA.

The digital platform connects patients to board-certified doctors, counselors, and psychiatrists anytime, anywhere across the USA for their non-emergency health requirements.

Doctor on Demand offers 24/7 customer support and healthcare services at pocket-friendly prices.

About Teladoc

Teladoc is a much older, well-established virtual/telehealth platform launched in 2002 by George Byron Brooks and Oscar Boultinghouse.

It is based out of New York and specializes in affordable primary care, mental healthcare, wellness, and chronic condition management for children, adults and senior citizens.

Doctor on Demand vs Teladoc: Features, Pricing, Insurance Coverage and More

This section will cover a detailed comparison between Teladoc and Doctor on Demand. Both platforms are similarly structured with some notable differences.

1. How Does it Work?

We will talk about the structure of the services and how they are offered to patients in this section, for both Teladoc and Doctor on Demand.

Doctor on Demand

Self-scheduling appointments with a psychiatrist or a therapist is a simple process after initial sign-up. My account once created keeps track of everything from past visit records, upcoming sessions, and lab tests to important health documents, nearby pharmacies, and more.

I also had the option to attempt more questionnaires and add favorite providers as well as external physicians to keep them updated on my medical history, if needed.

The app or the website comes with a search filter that helped me find the right therapist based on my mental health concerns and other preferences. I then had access to a list of relevant providers and their bios to help me shortlist one out of them.

For an urgent appointment with a board-certified clinician, I was able to consult a doctor on demand. This placed me on priority on the patient waiting list.

Although I did not opt for prescription management, psychiatrists and board-certified clinicians are authorized to prescribe many helpful drugs. However, they are prohibited from prescribing certain drugs such as controlled substances falling under Schedule I, II, III, IV, or V drug, narcotics, and pain medications.

Appointment scheduling is easy and possible through the website or an app available on both the App Store and Play Store.

American Sign Language interpretation service is also available via Google Meet and email.

Teladoc

Teladoc is an all-inclusive healthcare system featuring care plans to tackle both mental and physiological concerns. Here are the top offerings on the platform.

• Primary360 – This service is available to all adults aged 18 years and above. It covers a wide range of features, such as regular health assessments, referrals, and medication management
• Mental Healthcare – This service offers consultation with a mental health provider to treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, stress, and more
• General Medical – Paediatricians and other doctors are at your service 24/7. It is designed to primarily address non-critical conditions such as minor allergies, flu, etc.
• Condition Management – The platform even provides expert care, chronic condition management, and wellness assistance for sustainable recovery
• Expert Medical Advice/Opinion – This includes guidance by the top medical specialists present locally to address specific medical problems and provide personalized long-term assistance
• Wellness Care – This is great for inculcating healthier lifestyles. It covers services such as weight management, physiotherapy, sex education, counseling to quit bad habits/smoking, and more

I was a wee bit overwhelmed with how extensive the website is. However, it is bound to happen on a super-integrated platform like Teladoc, which has so much to offer.

The initial registration process was slightly laborious as I was expected to enter all my details beforehand without knowing the treatment pricing upfront. I was paired with a counselor based on the search criteria I added.

This way, the search results produced a trimmed-down list that exactly matched my requirements.

2. Pricing/Affordability

Let us discuss how affordable are the services of Teladoc and Doctor on Demand.

Doctor on Demand

All healthcare services on Doctor on Demand could be free of cost with private or employer insurance coverage. The final cost of the session will be displayed after all the insurance details are entered while registering on the platform.

Without insurance benefits, consultation costs with the following medical professionals are listed below:

• One 25-minute session with a licensed psychologist costs USD 134
• One 50-minute session with a licensed psychologist costs USD 184
• A 45-minute initial consultation with a psychiatrist costs USD 299
• Follow-up appointments with a psychiatrist cost USD 129 per session
• A 15-minute consultation with a board-certified clinician costs USD 79

There are additional fees for extending the duration of scheduled appointments. With no insurance support, the services on Doctor on Demand are not quite affordable. However, the platform is more transparent about its pricing, unlike Teladoc.

Teladoc

Teladoc does not mention its pricing upfront, for which I would deduct a few points. Without insurance coverage, the cost of treatment is on the expensive side and also a bit costlier than Doctor on Demand.

General medical appointments cost USD 75 per session. Psychiatric consultations are USD 299, with follow-up sessions costing USD 119 per session.

3. Insurance Coverage

This section will talk about whether or not these platforms provide insurance coverage to help you finance your mental health treatment adequately.

Doctor on Demand

Doctor on Demand accepts a wide range of insurance providers in the US. It also supports Medicare. However, Medicare Part A does not cover treatment sessions on this platform.

For Medicare Advantage (MA) members, I would suggest checking your plan to ensure the platform is listed on it.

In case you are a beneficiary of Part B and Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) or a Medicare-Medicaid Enrollee, the benefits can be checked via a valid email ID, an active contact number, and a Medicare ID.

Doctor on Demand also accepts HSA and FSA cards for payments. Here are the insurance carriers supported by the platform:

• Humana
• Adventist Health System
• United Healthcare
• Aetna Affordable Health Choices SM SRC
• Aetna Better Health
• GEHA-ASA (Aetna Signature Administrators)
• Absolute Total Care
• Florida Blue
• 1199 National Benefit Fund
• 8th District Electrical Benefit Fund
• Clover Health
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida
• SAMBA (Special Agents Mutual Benefit Association)
• Caprock
• John Hopkins HealthCare LLC
• AmeriHealth
• Bravo Health
• Community First Health Plan
• Colonial Medical
• Keystone First
• Liberty Health Advantage and more

Teladoc

Teladoc also provides extensive insurance coverage via a huge network of insurance providers. I am listing a few of them below, but it is not an exhaustive list. You can visit the website to access the entire dropdown list of insurance carriers supported by Teladoc.

• Aetna
• Cigna
• Ameriben
• Carolina Complete
• Fidelis Care
• Allwell
• Affinity by Molina
• BCBS Illinois
• Anthem – BCBS
• BCBS Florida
• BCBS FEP (Federal Employee Plan)
• Fallon Health
• Imagine Health
• Molina Healthcare
• Premera
• Regence
• UMR
• UMR Level Funded
• Wellcare
• United Healthcare and more

4. Accessibility

INSTANT GLOBAL REACH is the success mantra of most digital businesses around the world. We will evaluate Teladoc and Doctor on Demand on the accessibility front in this section.

Doctor on Demand

Doctor on Demand is available internationally. However, patients residing outside of the US cannot be given prescriptions. Medication advice is covered in this case, but there will not be formal prescriptions. This is also applicable to all US residents traveling abroad.

The platform currently cannot offer its services to the US territories such as the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Teladoc

Teladoc services are available to everyone across all states of Canada and the United States. The platform’s special Global Care Program allows you to consult a physician licensed in the US even while traveling out of the country.

Also, the website and the app are translated into English and French, especially serving Canada’s English and French-speaking regions, respectively.

5. Privacy

Let us examine both Teladoc and Doctor on Demand on the privacy front. It is extremely crucial to know this in today’s ultra-digital, AI-driven world.

Doctor on Demand

I did not encounter any major privacy loopholes or lapses on the part of Doctor on Demand.

The platform maintains the highest standards when it comes to patient health records with appropriate healthcare accreditation.

It is HITURST-certified and even approved by rigorous URAC (Utilization Review Accreditation Commission) and NCQA (National Committee for Quality Assurance).

Teladoc

Teladoc is 100% HIPAA-compliant and does not violate any international, national, or state laws.

The platform ensures complete protection of patient privacy and guarantees the safety of PHI (Patient Health Information).

However, according to the privacy policy of Teladoc, the platform is obligated to share patient health records with concerned officials if mandated by any legal procedure. This will only be done after acquiring the patient’s official permission that allows data disclosure.

Teladoc may share your details with third parties for administrative reasons, too.

6. Available Treatments

In this section, we will discuss all the major health conditions addressed by Doctor on Demand and Teladoc.

Doctor on Demand

Doctor on Demand can treat a wide variety of mental and physical health problems, such as:

• Allergies
• Anxiety
• Acne
• Asthma
• Bronchitis & Pneumonia
• Urinary tract infections
• Cold & Flu
• Depression
• Vomiting & Diarrhea
• Cellulitis & Skin Conditions
• Lyme Disease
• Prescription refill
• Viral Rashes
• Stress
• Postpartum
• Grief & Loss
• Pink Eye
• PTSD
• Vaginal & Yeast Infections
• Covid-19 treatment
• Sinus infections
• High Blood Pressure
• IBS
• Women’s and Men’s Health
• Primary Dermatology

Also, labs & screenings for diagnostic purposes, as recommended by providers, are available.

Teladoc

At Teladoc, medical professionals can address many non-emergency conditions. I am giving you a quick rundown of the various health problems that can be diagnosed and treated on this platform:

• Anxiety and stress
• PTSD
• Trauma
• Mood swings
• Negative thought patterns
• Sleep disorders
• Relationship problems
• Allergies
• Abdominal pain
• Throat pain
• Sinus infections
• Back and joint care
• Nutrition guidance
• Sexual Health
• Tobacco cessation
• Flu
• Urinary tract infection (UTI)
• Rashes
• Pink eye and more

In the case of mental health treatments, different types of providers cater to different needs. As a patient, I had access to a lot of videos, evidence-based therapy, mental health counseling/coaching, and digital activities.

Counseling based on cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavioral therapy is also provided.

7. Pros and Cons Doctor on Demand

In this part of the article, we will summarize the good and bad available on both these platforms.

8. Pros and Cons of Teladoc

Conclusion

Both Teladoc and Doctor on Demand function similarly. Teladoc lacks transparency when it comes to pricing. Doctor on Demand, on the other hand, is quite clear about their pricing, so patients know how much they are expected to spend with or without insurance.

Even with a similar structure and services, Teladoc has a rating of 4.8/5 on Trustpilot, whereas Doctor on Demand just scores a pitiful 1.3.

Award-winner – Teladoc has been tried and tested by many and has been in the business for the past 21 years. So, it seems like a better platform than Doctor on Demand.

Since there is no free trial offered, you can try out at least one online mental therapy session on each of these platforms before picking one.

Different patients have rated these platforms differently based on individual preferences. Some got excellent customer support, while some of them were left hanging, fuming and fretting.

So, try both of them out before making your final decision.