Teladoc virtual healthcare is now available on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices

Amazon Alexa can now connect you with a healthcare professional via Teladoc. The voice-activated service will be available to US customers and is supported on Echo devices, including the Echo Dot and Echo Show.

Teladoc will be available 24 hours a day to help you with general medical concerns. Initially, the consultations will be audio with video to be added later. Teladoc suggests that this technology could be helpful for patients with colds, flu or allergies, with the ability to call a doctor in the middle of the night or between meetings.

To use Teladoc, you can say, "Alexa, I want to talk to a doctor", which will put you through to the Teladoc call center for an initial triage call. The Teladoc professional will ask for relevant medical history and insurance information during this consultation.

After this, users with non-emergency health needs will get a call back on their Alexa-enabled device from a doctor. Teladoc calls can be free for customers with insurance and up to US$75 (~€67) for those without insurance.

The Teladoc integration with Alexa-enabled devices follows Amazon's announcement of Amazon Care, its digital healthcare program, earlier this year. Amazon Care also offers virtual care with the option for you to arrange a home visit from a medical professional.

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