MD Care founder Chris Cole remembers the day someone from the South Carolina Medical Association contacted him about the idea of providing health care in a virtual setting.
“They told me what we were doing was illegal,” Cole said. “I remember thinking “Oh, this is not going to be good.’ Nobody had a clue that this could be done.”
Now celebrating 10 years in the virtual health care industry, Greenville-based MD Care’s subscription model has provided access to care for almost a million members across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. MD Care is also included in 172 health care networks whose brokers work to include the service in employer-sponsored health insurance plans.
As the gap widens between family deductibles and everyday health care costs, MD Care remains on a growth footing, according to Steve Koenemann, the developer Cole partnered with to build MD Care’s digital infrastructure.
“I knew from the beginning that it would succeed, because I was the customer” Cole said. “Ten years ago, I had a $10,000 deductible and a $2,000 monthly premium, so I was basically taking my chances, and I knew there were a lot of other people like me out there.”
When the pandemic disrupted healthcare delivery models, MD Care came to the forefront as the healthcare industry pivoted to meet surging demand for safe, remote-care options, Koenemann said.
MD Care network
“Now, we operate in a primary-care network that can order imaging or lab work, and read the results in a virtual telehealth setting,” he said.
Koenemann said MD Care’s nationwide network of licensed doctors is like “having a doctor in the family” who is available every hour of every day, all year, to treat, consult, recommend and diagnose common, acute conditions.
A single subscription covers up to a seven-member household, and they’re available not only through employer-sponsored plans, but also on the open market.
“We always knew families would be willing to pay for a year of our service over one visit to an urgent care facility,” Cole said.
Since the pandemic, MD Care has expanded into behavioral health and psychiatric care, along with dermatological care.
“And it’s same-day or next-day care,” Cole said. “It’s not two or three weeks out, or even months.”
The business is also expanding into virtual legal consultation and veterinarian services.
