This week the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) agreed to move
forward with Teladoc’s (NYSE: TDOC) case to invalidate a patent held by
rival American Well Corporation. The PTO’s order to proceed with the
case, issued September 14, noted that Teladoc has a “likelihood” of
prevailing.
“As the pioneer and leader in telehealth, Teladoc has the responsibility
to protect consumers’ access to health innovations like telehealth,”
said Jason Gorevic, chief executive officer of Teladoc. “We’re proud to
stand up for telehealth and can’t allow those who would suppress
competition to take away access to the benefits of a safe, convenient
and affordable health care option. We are pleased that the PTO has
acknowledged the strength of our petition and its likelihood of success.”
In March 2015, Teladoc requested the PTO review and invalidate a patent
held by American Well relating to the practice of telemedicine. Teladoc
maintains that American Well’s claims of being ‘first-to-market’ are
demonstrably false due to the fact that Teladoc and others were
providing telehealth services long before American Well was even formed
as a company. In addition, Teladoc has noted in previous filings that
“the patents in question are impermissibly broad and cover matters that
are too obvious to be patented.”
The American Telemedicine Association projects there will be 800,000
telehealth consults in the U.S. in 2015; Teladoc is expected to conduct
more than 525,000 of those consults, almost twice the amount of the rest
of the industry combined.
A final ruling in the case before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is
expected in 2016.
About Teladoc
Teladoc, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC) is the nation’s first and largest telehealth
platform, delivering on-demand health care anytime, from almost anywhere
via mobile devices, the internet, secure video and phone. More than 12.5
million U.S. members are connected to Teladoc’s network of over 1,500
board-certified, state-licensed physicians and behavioral health
professionals who provide care for a wide range of non-emergency
conditions. With a median response time of less than 10 minutes, Teladoc
physicians will perform more than 525,000 telehealth visits in 2015.
Teladoc and its physicians consistently earn a 95 percent member
satisfaction rating or better, and Teladoc is the only telehealth
company to be certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance
(NCQA) for its physician credentialing process.
Recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of its "50
Smartest Companies 2015,” Teladoc works with health plans,
employers, organizations and individuals to provide access to
affordable, high-quality health care on demand. Teladoc is transforming
the access, cost and quality dynamics of health care delivery. For more
information, please visit teladoc.com,
twitter.com/teladoc, facebook.com/teladoc or linkedin.com/teladoc.
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