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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Becoming the first place people go for care

Awareness is essential. Changing default behavior is what comes next.

Amanda Cobos

Amanda Cobos, Vice President, Brand Marketing & Consumer Strategy

When symptoms appear or a health question arises, decisions are deeply personal and rarely comparative. People don't comparison-shop in those moments. Instead, they reach for what's familiar ...and trusted.

Teladoc Health doesn’t need to introduce itself to the healthcare market. We have the privilege of serving more than 100 million people and were recently recognized on USA TODAY’s Most Trusted Brands list for the second year in a row, and named one of Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America for five years straight. Leadership in awareness has never been our end goal. It’s the foundation for delivering great care to the largest number of consumers we can. What matters to us, and to our clients, are the actions people take in those decisive moments.

From being known to being chosen

Research published in the journal Family Practice shows that when people seek care, they are often driven by perception and habit. This human behavior explains why emergency department waiting rooms are full of patients who could have their condition or symptoms treated in a more appropriate setting, such as primary care. Symptoms create uncertainty, which can cause many people to default to what’s familiar.

Virtual care is more accessible than ever, but availability isn’t enough. Being recognized as an option is not the same as being the first option.

Teladoc Health is building a new default in care

In healthcare, the organization that defines the first step can ultimately shape every step that follows. That’s a significant opportunity, given the challenges many people face today: A survey from the American Academy of Physicians Associates shows that U.S. adults spend an average of eight hours per month simply coordinating care.

Our focus is creating a model that removes the guesswork from triaging care decisions. With our ability to deliver care across a broad range of needs and connect people across virtual and in-person care settings, Teladoc Health is a person’s front door to healthcare, from acute care needs to cardiometabolic health support or mental health counseling and coaching. 

Through partnerships with Amazon, Instacart and more, we’re making it easier for people to enroll and make healthy choices that drive better outcomes. When people have access to Teladoc Health, we can help them simplify the care experience through a trusted front door. 

A lot has changed since the early days of virtual care, when it was primarily a tool for improving access. As virtual care has evolved, how we talk to the people making healthcare decisions under pressure must evolve alongside it.

Why connecting with moms matters

Across most families, healthcare decisions are centralized, and that concentration reveals something important about how defaults actually form. Women, especially moms, make 80% of the healthcare decisions in their households. They manage appointments and care for children and aging parents, often while absorbing the decision fatigue that comes with coordinating a family’s entire care ecosystem. Layered on top of the obligations of everyday life, it’s understandable why self-care has become exceedingly difficult.

As members of the sandwich generation, they’re more likely to face barriers and are looking for a trusted source that will make navigating healthcare easier. When you earn that trust with a person who holds the healthcare decisions for an entire household, you don’t just become an option. You become the default.

That’s why we’re speaking directly to moms and meeting them in the moments when health decisions feel overwhelming. We’re positioning Teladoc Health as the clear, trusted first place to turn.  

When a health need arises, Teladoc Health should be the first and most trusted place people think to turn. Default behavior isn’t built through awareness alone. It’s built through consistency, clarity and trust—expressed through every campaign, every partnership and every interaction over time.

Awareness put Teladoc Health on the map. Becoming the default is what will define the next era of virtual care.

Take a deeper dive with these resources