August 29, 2023
Regence members rely on Advice24, our nurse advice service for guidance and support for everyday health concerns. It's a convenient and quick way to get support from a registered nurse for non-emergency health issues and questions that might otherwise lead to unnecessary doctor and ER visits.
Embedded in most fully insured group and Individual plans and available as a buy-up to self-funded groups, Advice24 is accessible anywhere, anytime from a phone and, on most plans, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. PT via chat from a computer or mobile device. Advice24 helps guide members to the most appropriate care, including their virtual care benefits; avoid unnecessary, costly ER or urgent care visits; and make the most of their health care benefits. It even provides nurse follow-up when medically appropriate.
Based on small group and Individual member usage data, 77% of members who access the service sought help for sickness or illness; 13% requested general health information; and 8% sought a provider referral. The majority—62%—would have gone to an ER or urgent care before calling. Nurses referred 32% of callers to their telehealth benefits.
To improve 51+ and ASO members’ experience and speed their access to care through Advice24, we’re changing our partner that delivers the service effective Jan. 1, 2024. This change will go into effect for all groups on Jan. 1, regardless of renewal date. Our new partner will deliver faster speed-to-answer times, connecting members to a registered nurse in an average of 10 seconds. In addition, it will provide a consistent 24/7/365 experience to members across all 50 states.
Advice24 enables members to connect with a nurse via live chat from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. when signed in to their asuris.com member account on a computer or the Asuris mobile app. Or they can use the dedicated phone number if they choose to speak directly with a nurse. With the change, a new phone number will be printed on 51+ and ASO member ID cards.
Fully insured groups of 51+ and ASO groups that currently have Advice24 will see the new phone number and chat functionality added under the Find Care tab in the Asuris digital experience effective Jan. 1, 2024. Member ID cards for these groups will be updated where applicable.
Advice24 is a highly effective care concierge option for groups with high ER and urgent care usage, low primary care provider utilization, frequent travelers and high numbers of remote workers. For more information about offering Advice24 to your ASO groups, please contact your account representative.
Advice24 service for fully insured groups with Essential and Asuris Virtual Saver™ plans will continue to be provided by Doctor On Demand Virtual Primary Care. The Advice24 phone number for these members isn’t changing. Members on these plans don't have access to chat functionality and can access Advice24 via phone.