Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/925196
28 | Overdrive | January 2018 CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE Motor Carrier Safety Administration's National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. TA-Petro also offers workout facili- ties in some locations through its StayFit program. Facilities include indoor fitness rooms, walking and running trails, basket- ball courts, horseshoe pits and more. PFJ is partnered with UrgentCare- Travel, which has six truck stop clinics offering walk-in medical services for driv- ers and their families. UCT plans to open at least eight more locations this year at Pilot and Flying J truck stops and more beyond 2018. Mitch Strobin, UCT vice president of service management, says the com- pany's Health Network offers mem- bers unlimited medical services with no copays, deductibles or extra costs. Owner-operators can sign themselves up for $100 per month or $150 per month for themselves and up to five family members. UCT's Health Network offers two free calls per year under the driver-only sub- scription plan, or four free calls per year for the family plan. Additional calls can be made for a fee. The brick-and-mortar locations offer services such as those common at any doc-in-a-box, but the subscription also gives drivers 24/7 access to telemedicine services through WellVia. The service can be used as a primary care service if a driver doesn't have a hometown doctor, or just on a walk-in basis, with no sub- scription required, Strobin says. UCT's service also provides drivers with DOT physicals, drug screens and treatment for work-related injuries as long as they don't fall under a work- ers' compensation claim. Drivers with minor injuries on the job or pain that qualifies as first aid care can be seen quickly in the clinics rather than wait- ing at a doctor's office or an emer- gency room. For drivers diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and obesity, among other conditions, the clinics provide drivers with health plans to help manage their disease, which includes educational materials, a sched- ule of clinic visits and monthly phone calls from the nurse practitioners. Strobin says the service doesn't replace health insurance but is a low- cost option for basic health care with- out having to deal with deductibles or expensive premiums. In addition to the chain locations, large independent truck stops such as Iowa 80 in Walcott, Iowa, and Jubitz in Portland, Oregon, offer chiropractic services and DOT physicals. Iowa 80 also houses a dentist and a workout room. These telemedicine apps, while not necessarily tailored to truckers, also allow users to connect with a remote doctor and get a diagnosis. They are available for iPhone and Android devices unless noted otherwise. MDLIVE: MDLIVE is a free app that offers users a subscription-free service that allows them to contact a doctor and pay on a per-call basis. The company says the average wait time to speak to a doc- tor is less than 15 minutes. Doctors on the app can treat nonemer- gency conditions such as cold, flu, fever, headache and more, and also provide behavioral health services. MDLIVE physi- cians can prescribe medications. Amwell: Amwell doctors can provide services or consultation for urgent care, psychiatry, therapy (such as depres- sion and anxiety), and nutrition (such as weight concerns, food allergies, high blood pressure) and other conditions. There is no subscription fee, and users are charged per call. Some insurance companies cover telehealth calls, but with no coverage, urgent care calls cost $59 or less. Therapy calls are $95 or less. Initial psychiatry calls are $200 with $90 follow- ups. Nutrition calls are $45 or less. First Opinion: Available only for iPhone, First Opinion is a free way to con- nect with a physician via text messaging 24/7. There is no charge for texting with a doctor. Prescriptions and lab tests are available for $39. If a prescription or further treatment is needed, users will be referred to a local doctor. So far, app creators have local doctors in Arizona, California, Florida, Geor- gia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., for users to be able to send photos through the app and receive a diagnosis and prescription. OTHER TELEHEALTH APPS MDLIVE Amwell First Opinion UrgentCareTravel, with clinics at six truck stops and plans to open more, offers DOT physicals, drug screens, primary care services and work-related injury services. A monthly column, Better Health, begins this month on page 56. It will address common health conditions and symptoms that truckers encounter on the road.