In this article
Amwell is a telehealth platform that connects people with board-certified doctors and licensed therapists who offer a variety of mental health services. It is a safe and convenient way for patients to get the treatments, advice, or professional assistance they need from the comfort of their homes, no matter where they live.
Wondering whether this website is the right option for you if you are looking for online therapy services? In this unbiased review, we’ll provide you with essential information about how Amwell works, its advantages and disadvantages, services offered, and pricing to help you make an informed decision.
What Is Amwell?
Amwell or American Well is the nation’s largest telehealth company that provides quick and easily accessible on-demand medical and mental health help 24/7. You can access the Amwell telehealth service from your web browser or from the company’s smartphone app (there are apps for iOS and Android).
Compared with other similar online platforms that specialize in online mental health support and treatment, Amwell offers a wide range of health services, from urgent care needs to psychotherapy all for a set fee per visit.
Amwell treats a number of conditions from a distance although it’s not suitable for serious medical concerns and offers prescriptions online. The list of services offered is rather long and includes urgent care, pediatrics, and psychiatry. Besides, you can get health advice on nutrition and different women’s concerns, for example, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause.
Appointments with doctors typically last about 10 minutes but they can be longer if you need more time. If the doctor decides that a prescription is necessary during an online appointment, they will send a script to the local pharmacy chosen by a patient. But keep in mind that Amwell’s doctors can’t prescribe controlled substances.
How Does Amwell Online Therapy Work?
Amwell’s website is informative and relatively easy to navigate, but it has multiple pages so sometimes, it can be difficult to find detailed answers to questions about certain services using the website menu alone. It may be simpler to use Google search to find this information. Or you can use online chat.
The next aspect we want to discuss in our Amwell review is the signup process. To sign-up for a therapy session at Amwell, you need to go to the therapy page, and then click the Get Started button. Next, you need to fill out the prompt form to let the company know what insurance you have and enter your email address.
Once your email is confirmed, you’ll be able to log into a portal where you can schedule your first appointment with a therapist through the online scheduling system or the Amwell app. If you need additional help scheduling your video appointment, you can call a customer support representative.
You can pick the therapist you want to work with by browsing through the therapists’ bios with availability. Each therapist’s bio includes information about their qualifications, areas of specialty, and client reviews to help you make an informed decision on a good match.
Although Amwell connects patients with doctors the same day, you might sometimes wait a little longer to be connected with your therapist for sessions. According to the information provided on the Amwell website, it can take up to 14 days to get an appointment with a therapist.
Who Can Benefit from Amwell Therapy? What Issues Do They Treat?
Online therapy sessions take approximately 45 minutes. Amwell employs more than 350 licensed therapists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatrists. Amwell’s therapists provide counseling for different mental health conditions, including:
✓ Depression
✓ Postpartum depression
✓ Miscarriage loss
✓ Grief
✓ Anxiety
✓ Stress
✓ Panic attacks
✓ PTSD
✓ Addiction
✓ ADHD
✓ Family and relationships
✓ Insomnia
✓ Bipolar disorder
✓ Eating disorders
✓ LGBTQ issues
Amwell also offers couples therapy, talk therapy for kids (with parental consent), and psychiatry. Their mental health professionals specialize in different therapies or types of treatment, including such common therapeutic approaches as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectic behavior therapy (DBT), motivational interviewing, supportive psychotherapy, stress management, and more.
How Much Does Amwell Cost?
Amwell’s prices are competitive and less expensive than traditional, in-office therapy. But, unfortunately, the company doesn’t have monthly subscription plans, so clients have to pay for each therapy session. That means you may spend more in a month booking weekly counseling sessions than you would at a subscription-based online therapy platform.
The prices vary depending on the therapist, their experience, and credentials, and they don’t offer any discounts. You can choose a therapist with a Master’s degree or Ph.D. in their field. Costs are usually around $109 for sessions with a licensed therapist who has a Master’s degree and $129 for sessions with a licensed therapist who has a doctoral degree. As to psychiatry appointments, they cost $279 for the first visit and $109 for each follow-up. The prices are the same whether you need to schedule appointments during the day, night, or on the weekend.
Does Amwell Accept Insurance?
On Amwell’s website, you can find information that the company works with more than 55 different health care insurance companies, including some of the biggest names in the industry. This is an advantage because it means you can have your online telehealth visits covered by your health insurance plan, which makes medical treatment and prescriptions more affordable. Some insurers may even provide full coverage for these online appointments. So you should contact your insurance provider or employer to check your benefits.
If your health insurance plan is in-network and covers therapy and psychiatry services, you will need to pay your insurance copay or a cash price of $69. And if your insurance provider is not listed on their website, you can ask for a receipt and seek out-of-network reimbursement on your own.
Confidentiality & Privacy
Like any good company that works with people’s health records, Amwell is serious about their patients’ privacy. The platform is fully HIPPA-compliant so their record-keeping practices adhere to HIPAA guidelines and requirements. Online sessions with Amwell are private and secure because they use secure streaming video.
They have also implemented a number of encryption and security measures on their website. That means you can be sure that your information is safe and secure whenever you provide any data. You can also use the option of emailing the company and requesting that your medical files be deleted.
Bottom Line
Amwell is one of the biggest telemedicine companies in the USA and is a good choice for people who are looking for a one-stop platform for all their medical needs. Many people who used this service give it a high rating in their Amwell reviews although they indicate that Amwell offers fewer communication options compared with most online therapy websites.
If you need mental health support and prefer to attend virtual consultations, Amwell is a good option to consider, especially if your insurance plan covers online therapy and counseling. But you should remember that online counseling is not suitable for people who have self-harm or suicidal thoughts because they require immediate urgent care.
The service offers clients the flexibility to book therapy sessions whenever they need them. Although it’s more expensive than subscription-based services, you can use Amwell if you are not ready to commit to a certain number of therapy sessions a month.
Please login to leave a comment.