New House Call Program for California

SAN FRANCISCO (December 17, 2019)—House calls from a doctor are making a comeback, thanks in part to a tech-savvy culture and consumer demands for better health care access and convenience. In response, Sutter Health | Aetna is teaming up with Heal, a provider of doctor house calls, to bring “doctors to your door” seven days a week. This service includes scheduling doctors’ visits to a member’s home or office, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., through the Heal app, website, or a phone call.

“We are taking steps to modernize the delivery of health care by making it easier to access and more affordable,” said Steve Wigginton, Sutter Health | Aetna CEO. “Heal’s ‘doctors to your door’ service will increase convenience for members by enabling them to receive primary, preventive, pediatric, and urgent care services from the convenience of their home or office. We want to deliver a differentiated member experience that leads to lower health care costs and better outcomes.”

With the innovative joint venture between Sutter Health and Aetna, Heal services are integrated with the member’s care. Heal physicians can write prescriptions, order labs and suggest in-network referrals for specialists and other health care services, like behavioral health or disease management. Collaboration between Heal doctors and the Sutter Health | Aetna provider network helps coordinate care and improve provider communications, safety and quality.

Sutter Health | Aetna members can schedule appointments every day, including weekends and holidays. Through Heal, board-certified doctors can arrive in as little as two hours in most locations. Employers offering their employees a Sutter Health | Aetna plan can also schedule on-site “Heal Days” to help keep their employees healthy and happy.

“We recognize getting to the doctor can be a challenge, especially after hours, and we’ve created Heal to revisit the health care model and give people the access to quality care they crave,” said Nick Desai, CEO and co-founder of Heal. “Sutter Health | Aetna and Heal see eye to eye and are working together to transform the healthcare system and make care more convenient and affordable.”

Access to Heal for Sutter Health | Aetna members begins on Jan. 1, 2020.

Visit sutterhealthaetna.com and heal.com for more information.