Table 1.

Selected virtual primary care providers and their approaches (alphabetical order).

Sample provider	Geography	Virtual modalities	Choice of cliniciana	Schedulingb
98point6	USA	Chatc	None	No
AskMyGP	UK	Form → phone or asynchronous messaging	Possible	No
Babylon	UK, Canada, Rwanda	(Chatbot → ) video or audio	Possible	Yes
Dialogued	Canada	Chat with nurse → video	None	Yes
Ping An Good Doctor	China	Chatbot → chat or video	None	No
Sherpaad	USA	Asynchronous messaging	None	No
Teladoc	Global	Video, phone, chat	None	No

Sources: provider websites.

^aNo choice typically means the next available physician. The degree of choice varies across providers. Practices using AskMyGP may let patients choose their own physician or another physician from the same practice. Babylon offers a choice only when booking by phone. Sherpaa seems to offer no choice, but to have the same physician follow a patient between interactions of the same episode (and an episode may last several months, as in the case of breast cancer).

^bScheduling refers to booking a later appointment. No scheduling means that the visit occurs within minutes or hours of the patient requesting it.

^cChat refers to synchronous text-based communication with a clinician.

^dAvailable within group plans only, e.g., via employers or insurers.