Startup provider of mobile and online telehealth services to college students CampusMD, is expanding its capabilities by partnering with established telehealth company American Well.

Thanks to the American Well link, Bethesda, Md.-based CampusMD now is able to offer its clients the ability to pick their own doctors, immediate video consultations around the clock and asynchronous video options, according to COO Asher Epstein. "It's the TiVo/Netflix model for medicine," Epstein told MobiHealthNews.

Physician selection, Epstein said, helps establish a greater sense of trust with students and campus health administrators alike. "We're getting a much stronger customer relationship," Epstein said.

The new video components coincide with American Well starting this month to offering its services directly to consumers on a pay-per-use basis and expand video consults to 24/7. "The potential of telehealth and telemedicine with the new American Well app is compelling," Epstein said.

American Well is making video services available only over wired and Wi-Fi connections, not 3G or 4G mobile Web, for the purpose of safety and reliability during physician consultations because cellular signals can cut out if the user is in motion. "We want to make sure we have continuity of care," Epstein said. People on the go can still opt for telephone consultations, he added.

The campus market is attractive to American Well because smartphone use is very high among college students, high-speed Internet access is nearly ubiquitous – CampusMD works over the Web in addition to its iOS and Android apps – and "your market is literally and figuratively viral," according to Epstein. Students are quick to share things they like with their friends and illnesses tend to spread fast within a confined environment like a dorm or dining hall, Epstein explained.

American Well is meant to be a value-added service, not a premium option, according to Epstein. As the partnership started this month, CampusMD rounded its monthly fee from $17.95 to $18; annual subscriptions and bulk packages for student populations also are available.

Even with the American Well partnership, CampusMD is still working with its original technology partner, Healthiest You, a company formerly known as HealthNation, Epstein said.