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Doctor On Demand Review

Medically Reviewed and Edited by 
Olga Kyrychenko, Psychologist

Doctor On Demand is one of the largest telehealth platforms in the U.S, and another one which doesn’t focus solely on therapy. Instead, here you combine treatment for mental health issues with seeing all kinds of physicians and treating any other health concerns you might have.

With regards to mental health specifically, the biggest advantage is you can meet with both a psychologist and a psychiatrist at the same time.

This Doctor On Demand Review will naturally focus on the mental health section of the platform. We’ll objectively describe everything we like or don’t about it, and then compare it to other similar services.

The most obvious comparison is with their main competitors – other telehealth platforms such as Amwell and MDLive, but we will also try and compare Doctor On Demand with other top online therapy sites.

Doctor On Demand Rating Breakdown 2023

Overall Rating

Overall Rating - 3 Stars

We had nothing but good experiences using the site, and user reviews we read everywhere were overwhelmingly positive as well. The software is great and the company is legit – we felt safe and comfortable the entire time. That said, even though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Doctor On Demand, we struggle to find a compelling reason to prefer it over any of the alternatives.

Price

Price - 2 Stars

Doctor On Demand doesn’t use the same subscription module other sites do. Instead, you schedule meetings with your therapists as you see fit and pay for each one immediately – very much like you would do with live therapy. While there’s nothing wrong with that approach (in fact, it might be more effective for many people), the prices are just too high. Paying $179 per session might be cheaper than live meetings with a psychologist – but it’s also 40% higher than Amwell.

Treatment Options

Treatment Options - 4 Stars

The quality of treatment is excellent, every counselor we interacted with was extremely professional and friendly. However, there’s a very limited number of therapists to choose from and that makes it much harder to find a good match. Another thing we don’t like is the fact sessions can only be done by video – there’s no option for phone consultations.

App and Software

App and Software - 4 Stars

The software is easy to use but has a few bugs. Their mobile app has an average rating of 4.9 stars on the Google app store. So weirdly enough, the app is better than the web version which is very uncommon. The only issue we ever encountered was with the live sessions – sometimes the video quality was quite poor and we experienced many interruptions.

Customer Service

Customer Service - 5 Stars

Customer service is great – they reply quickly and are very helpful. This was particularly pleasing whenever we had technical issues with the video sessions – they always made sure we were reimbursed and left us completely satisfied. Unlike many therapy sites, Doctor On Demand’s support team can also be reached by phone, and not just mail.

Safety and Privacy

Safety and Privacy - 5 Stars

Doctor On Demand is one of the biggest telehealth companies in America, and enjoys an excellent reputation. The company is HIPAA compliant and follows strict regulation to ensure your privacy and data are all kept safe.

Should I use Doctor On Demand?

Is Dcotor On Demand Safe? Company Background Information

Doctor On Demand is a private company which was founded and still owned by celebrity psychologist Phil Mcgraw (also known as Dr. Phil) and his son. Thanks to its high profile founders the company enjoyed a lot of media attention and displayed tremendous growth each year. They currently have more than 800 employees with offices in San Francisco, Minneapolis and New York.

Doctor On Demand was just recently merged into Grand Rounds in a multi million dollar deal. We expect these news will only accelerate the company’s growth and hopefully bring in some much needed improvements to their services.

Doctor On Demand in Numbers For 2023

Year Founded2012
U.S Based CompanyYes
Number of Licensed Therapists120
Accepts Insurance?Yes
HIPAA CompliantYes
Therapy ModesVideo Live Sessions
Available TreatmentsPrivate and Teen Therapy
Average Price$129 – $179 Per Meeting
Sign Up TimeLess Than a Minute
Response TimeWithin The Day
Mobile AppYes
Websitewww.doctorondemand.com
Customer Reviews84% positive
Our Editorial Rating3 Stars
Current PromotionNone

How Doc on Demand Works

Signing up only takes a few seconds – you fill in your email address and select a password. Then, you’ll only need to add a few personal details such as your name and DOB and you are done. You’ll then immediately go to the main dashboard screen where you can choose between medical and mental health treatments.

As part of the signup process you will be asked to choose your insurance provider. If you are not sure what coverage you want to use, or don’t have any, you can select to skip this stage and complete later at any time you’d like to.

Before you schedule your first session, you might also want to take the free mental health assessment offered on the site. This feature offers nothing groundbreaking – just the run of the mill questionnaire you’ll see at most mental health websites, but it is useful in helping you to determine what type of treatment would suit you the most, and which therapist you should choose to help you with it.

When you select a therapist you like they will be immediately notified. You’ll then have to wait until they confirm the day and time you have requested – this usually takes a day or two, so it’s better to book meetings a few days in advance. This is also the part of the software that has the most bugs in it – we had to refresh the page multiple times before we were able to see the list of therapists we could choose from. We didn’t experience any of these issues while using the mobile app.

Doctor On Demand Therapy Price

Basic Package

$ 129 Per Session
  • 25 Minutes Live Session
  • Choose Your Own Therapist
  • Schedule Anytime You Like

Premium Package

$ 179 Per Session
  • 50 Minutes Live Session
  • Choose Your Own Therapist
  • Schedule Anytime You Like
Best

Psychiatric Treatment

$ 299 Per Session
  • 45 Minutes Evaluation Meeting
  • Choose Your Own Therapist
  • Followup Meetings Priced at $129 - $179

Doctor On Demand Available Treatments

Doctor On Demand claims to put all applicants who wish to offer services on their platform through a rigorous vetting process. Based on our experience using the site, the level of therapists is good – so we’d like to believe that what they say is true. That said, unlike other therapy platforms, Doctor On Demand is not very transparent when it comes to what they require from potential applicants.

When we went through their job ads we saw a lot of variance in the required skills and credentials. It’s safe to say though that in order to be featured on the site, a counselor is required to have at least a Master’s degree, 1 year of clinical experience and a certificate from their state board.

The lack of transparency only makes it more crucial you read through profiles before choosing your therapist. On their profiles, you can also see what each counselor specializes at and get a better idea if they can help you or not. Common areas of expertise include:

Doctor On Demand Psychiatry Review

Psychiatric services operate in exactly the same way regular therapy does. You can even combine both if you feel a mixture would yield the best result, or if you are not sure which treatment suits you best. 

The initial psychiatric evaluation costs $299 and subsequent meetings cost exactly the same as meeting a psychologist does. Psychiatrists on the platform are able to diagnose and prescribe medicine to their patients, aside from any of the controlled substances. 

What Our Readers Have To Say About Doctor On Demand

This is the only site that deals with smoking cessation so i went there and it helped.
quotes
David, CA
I had good chemistry with my therapist, but dr on demand is too expensive, even with insurance!
quotes
Eliana Fisher
I couldn't even schedule a meeting with a therapist! The software is so buggy... Thanks but I'll pass.
quotes
Jennifer

Doctor On Demand Review - Frequently Asked Questions

Is Doctor On The Demand the best place for online therapy?

Doctor On Demand is a large, reputable telehealth platform and the therapists they hire are all very good. But currently, we don’t feel like it’s anywhere near the top therapy sites. The site isn’t as good as its main competitor, Amwell, let alone the most popular therapy sites such as Betterhelp or Talkspace.

Is Doc on Demand legit and safe to use?

Yes, it is. The platform is HIPAA compliant and fully licensed in the U.S.

Does Doctor On Demand accept insurance?

Yes. When you sign up you will see a long list of insurance providers they work with. Coverage through Medicare or Medicaid is also possible.

How can I pay for services?

Credit card only.

How long does it take to see a therapist?

You can see available time slots and book a session accordingly - usually we were able to find someone who could see us within a day or 2 at most.

Doctor On Demand Review - Final Verdict

Unlike BetterHelp and Talkspace, the 2 most popular therapy sites, Doctor On Demand only offers a pay per meet module. There is no option to chat with your therapists and 24/7 mental health support is not offered. So in that regard, Doctor On Demand is very similar to the traditional approach often used in live therapy.

We don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with this approach. In fact, many people might benefit from the more rigid structure and the ability to book sessions on demand. 

That said, even if you think this treatment method is right for you – there are better options than Doctor On Demand. Amwell for example, another therapy site that takes insurance, works the same way, but is substantially cheaper and the therapists are overall more qualified and just better. 

Throughout this Doctor On Demand review we did our best to explain what’s good or bad about their therapy platform. We hope by now it’s clear why even though we think it’s a great company, with excellent customer service and a world class mobile app, we simply can’t endorse them currently as the best online therapy site.

Dr on Demand Logo

Overall rating 74.0%

Updated July 13th, 2022
Overall Rating
Price
Treatment Options
App and Software
Customer Service
Safety and Privacy