Alex O’Donnell6 hours agoBitcoinBlack deal brings crypto payments to telehealth, prescription drugsCardholders will be able to order and pay for prescriptions using crypto, the company says.1484 Total views1 Total sharesListen to article 0:00NewsOwn this piece of crypto historyCollect this article as NFTJoin us on social networksCrypto card issuer BitcoinBlack announced that it had clinched a deal to buy telemedicine provider Ask the Doctor. The deal will enable cardholders to pay for doctor visits and prescription drugs with cryptocurrency.
The deal will integrate the telehealth provider into BitcoinBlack’s mobile app, giving cardholders exclusive access to “Ask the Doctor’s private telemedicine services […] all through the convenience of their mobile devices,” the announcement said.
According to the statement, BitcoinBlack members will be able to “order and pay for prescriptions using cryptocurrency” while tapping into Ask the Doctor’s network of medical professionals.
Related:Tangem introduces Visa-integrated crypto wallet for secure payments
The deal builds on BitcoinBlack’s existing suite of offerings, which include private jet services, a luxury marketplace, a rewards program and invitations to exclusive events. BitcoinBlack is owned by New York LTD, a holding company based in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
According to the company’s website, cardholders earn up to 10% cashback in the form of SPND rewards tokens. The tokens, which function similarly to a traditional cashback rewards program, may be redeemed at BitcoinBlack’s Haute Living Luxury Marketplace for watches, private jets and more.
Ask the Doctor became one of the first healthcare providers to embrace cryptocurrency when it began accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) in 2016.
“Until we added Bitcoin, our services had to be purchased using a Credit Card or PayPal,” chief medical officer Dr. Michael Warner said in a 2016 interview with The Huffington Post. “To some, having a banking paper trail documenting a transaction with Ask the Doctor did not provide them with a sufficient level of privacy,” Warner explained.
Ask the Doctor’s backers include Canadian Dragon’s Den star Michele Romanow, NBA player Dikembe Mutombo, celebrity dentist Dr. Amira Ogunleye, NFL veteran Israel Idonije and Adam Cole Jacobs, former head of payments at defunct crypto exchange FTX.
The global telehealth and telemedicine market is expanding rapidly and is expected to surge in size to $342.43 billion by 2028, according to ResearchandMarkets.com.
Magazine:Big Questions: How can Bitcoin payments stage a comeback?# Business# Adoption# HealthAdd reaction