Guardian Life and Virtudent announce teledentistry partnership
BOSTON, MA, Oct. 27, 2020 – Virtudent, Inc. ( www.virtudent.com ), the leading provider of teledentistry services, and The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America ( Guardian Life ) have announced a partnership to provide teledentistry services to Guardian members nationwide.
Approximately 7 million Guardian PPO members will now have access to 24/7 teledentistry services through the co-branded teledentistry solution by accessing Guardian Teledentistry online or by calling 1-800-506-8305. The teledentistry service provides members with a virtual option to help with dental issues, such as diagnose an emergency, prescribe necessary antibiotics, and find the best care option for other dental issues. This can be helpful for members who don’t live close to their dentist or for those who need an after-hours consultation.
“Our goal with this partnership is to provide an efficient and effective way for patients to access a dental support team at their fingertips,” said John Voith, CEO of Virtudent. “Guardian Teledentistry will engage patients who do not have a dentist available in virtual dental consultations, which is especially important during COVID. The Virtudent support team will triage to the appropriate dentist or dental specialist without the member struggling on their own and lacking the appropriate continuum of care.”
With the COVID-19 health crisis, interest in telemedicine has been on the rise. According to Guardian’s Workplace Benefits Study “Dental Benefits 2020”, more than one-third of all adults are open to trying teledentistry and even favor this option over traditional in-person visits for certain conditions and situations. Parents are more likely to use teledentistry for a child than for themselves – both during and after the pandemic – while millennials also favor using it.
“This partnership with Virtudent reinforces our commitment to delivering affordable, flexible dental benefits that meet the evolving needs of our members,” said Dr. Randi S. Tillman, Chief Dental Officer, Guardian Life. “Our research shows members are more likely to use teledentistry if it’s covered by their dental provider. As a result, we are making it a priority to raise awareness for this new service with the goal of providing a safe method for members who need immediate access to high quality dental care.”
About Guardian Life
Every day, Guardian provides Americans the security they deserve through our insurance and wealth management products and services. Since our founding in 1860, our long-term view has helped our customers prepare for whatever life brings whether starting a family, planning for the future or taking care of employees. Today, we're a Fortune 250 mutual company and a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits for individuals, at the workplace and through government sponsored programs. The Guardian community of over 9,000 employees and our network of over 2,500 financial representatives is committed to serving with expertise when, where and how our clients need us. Our commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which at year-end 2019 included $9.3 billion in capital and $1.7 billion in operating income. For more information, please visit guardianlife.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
About Virtudent
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Boston, Virtudent is changing the face of dental healthcare delivery. Virtudent provides preventive dental care and care coordination through teledentistry services, on-site services and virtual support. Since its founding, it has been available to over 1M individuals in 15 states and has care coordinated 10,000+ patients. Virtudent maintains an average patient net promoter score (NPS) over 90 for all of its services. For more information, visit www.virtudent.com.
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