Solidarity to help decongest the healthcare system

• In the last week, calls from doctors requesting information and activation of our e-Consultation services for use with private patients has multiplied by 30.
• To ensure as much as possible that patients are not affected by the effects of COVID-19 on access to healthcare, Top Doctors is offering the e-Consultation service free of charge to doctors, even if they are not already a member of the platform.
• A. Porciani: “In this type of setting, where cybercrime can pose a risk, it is important that the tools for instant communication with patients complies with national and international regulations on encryption and preservation of medical data”

London, United Kingdom, 19th March 2020. – Top Doctors, a leading company in providing technological services for the private medical sector, such as e-Consultation, announces today that it will contribute to helping the healthcare system by making available to all medical professionals, both its network of members as well as anyone else who needs it throughout the United Kingdom territory, its e-Consultation services for doctors at no cost, which will be assumed by the company. The company has made this decision to assist the difficult situation that both the healthcare sector and patients are experiencing who, to help reduce the congestion of hospitals and medical centres, are postponing their health check-ups and appointments.

Following the announcement of this measure amongst the platform’s current members, the company has experienced an increase in the number of requests from medical professionals getting in touch to find out more about the e-Consultation service and to activate the tool so that they can attend to their patients. “In just the last three days we have received the same number of requests that we would normally receive in one month,” explains Alberto Porciani. “Private healthcare has made itself available to the needs that currently prevail in the healthcare system following the current coronavirus pandemic. But despite the pandemic, doctors still have to serve their regular patients. Less urgent appointments are being cancelled, by both doctors and the patients themselves, but there are certain cases that cannot wait for diagnosis, follow-up or treatment.”

That is why the demand for Top Doctors’ e-Consultation services has multiplied by 30 in recent weeks. According to the data available, the same is happening in Italy and Spain, which are two of the eight countries in which Top Doctors is also present.

Therefore, Top Doctors announces today that any medical professional in the private healthcare sector who needs e-Consultation services as an alternative to their face-to-face appointments will be able to use them without having to pay the service cost for the next two months. This expense will be assumed by the company. These e-Consultation services include a chat and video conferencing system, as well as an online appointment system which is available 24/7 for 365 days per year. Doctors will be free to choose the price they set for the e-Consultation appointments for patients. As Top Doctors offers the e-Consultation service free of charge for medical professionals to help the medical community, so too might doctors offer their services charitably to patients, or at a lower cost during this pressing time.

Furthermore, “we are working to contact all major insurance companies in the United Kingdom so that doctors can provide Top Doctors e-Consultation services for their insured patients too,” added A. Porciani. The company does not rule out extending this free period if the current crisis continues. Top Doctors is currently the only company that offers e-Consultation services for all medical specialties.

How doctors or insurers can get in touch:

Interested doctors and insurers can contact Top Doctors at econsultation@topdoctors.co.uk or by calling 07375559158 or 02071133495.