Teladoc Health

American telehealth company founded in 2002 addressing fragmented, expensive, and inconvenient U.S. healthcare access. Pioneered on-demand video/phone consultations with licensed physicians, enabling 24/7 access without appointments at lower costs than in-person visits.

The chapter uses Teladoc as a convergent evolution example alongside Ping An Good Doctor, showing how both companies independently arrived at similar platform models (on-demand access, B2B2C distribution, integrated prescriptions) despite operating in radically different healthcare systems. Teladoc expanded through acquisitions including Livongo for chronic care and BetterHelp for mental health.