UCLA Physicians Join Pool of Doctors for Telemedicine Platform

Physicians from UCLA Health System will be available through LiveHealth Online, a telehealth platform for those who need non-emergency medical attention when their own doctors are not available.


Physicians from UCLA Health System will be available through LiveHealth Online, a telehealth platform for those who need non-emergency medical attention when their own doctors are not available.

The service, developed by Health Management Corporation, is available on the Internet or via iOS and Android mobile devices through a free app. It offers a secure means of reaching board-certified, primary care doctors from almost anywhere.

UCLA physicians will join the pool of doctors for users who are members of the health system to choose from. When consumers select their physician for the visit, they will be able to see which physicians are part of UCLA Health System. In cases in which a UCLA doctor is not available, users can choose another board-certified physician or wait until a UCLA doctor becomes available. UCLA doctors are not expected to be online 24 hours a day.

Patients can initiate video visits from their home or workplace at any time through a computer, smartphone or tablet. The cost is $49 per visit in cases where it is not covered by insurance.

“What we need in healthcare is multiple avenues of access,” said Samuel Skootsky, M.D., chief medical officer of the UCLA Faculty Practice Group and Medical Group. “Showing up in a doctor’s office is one way. You can show up in an ER, but that’s expensive and it’s unnecessary for many simple problems. You can also show up in an urgent care facility. LiveHealth Online is another, more convenient way for people to access healthcare. We think this has value and that patients find this convenient, and I suspect that this kind of connection with the healthcare system will only grow over time.”