- We spent over 10,000 hours researching over 70 online therapy platforms, and our testers signed up for the 26 most popular platforms to bring you our top picks.
- Our testers used Doctor On Demand for at least four weeks, focusing on the sign-up process, therapist selection, therapy session quality, and customer service interactions.
- We surveyed over 2,000 online therapy users, held focus group interviews with both users and therapists, and consulted over 60 mental health experts.
- We score each platform according to affordability, data privacy, availability, and inclusivity.
- Our pages are updated regularly to update pricing and service information and to reflect our ongoing testing of new online therapy platforms and retesting of platforms we’ve researched before.
- Learn more about how we tested Doctor On Demand.
Key takeaways
- Doctor On Demand can be convenient for booking same-day or next-day mental health appointments with in-network insurance plans.
- The platform accepts many insurance plans, including Medicare, and costs $134–$184 per session for online therapy without insurance.
- Its online psychiatry sessions cost more than MDLIVE without insurance: $299 for the first session and $129 for follow-up sessions.
- Our testers encountered a few technical issues using the platform, which affected their online therapy sessions.
Online mental health care may be available on telehealth platforms that you already use for virtual medical care with primary care physicians or specialists. Doctor On Demand is one example of a telehealth portal that provides virtual visits with medical providers, therapists, and psychiatrists. Our team signed up for and tested the platform to see how its mental health services compare to other online counseling platforms.
In this article, we review Doctor On Demand’s therapy service, exploring the platform’s cost, sign-up process, provider options, and our online therapy testers’ experiences.
Doctor On Demand highlights
What is Doctor On Demand?
Doctor On Demand is a telehealth platform founded in 2012 by TV personality and clinical psychologist Phil McGraw (Dr. Phil) and his son, Jay McGraw. It merged with telehealth company Grand Rounds Health in 2021 and acquired the health platform Included Health to become Doctor On Demand by Included Health.
The platform is included as a benefit through some employers and insurance providers, but anyone can sign up and book an appointment with a Doctor On Demand provider.
Doctor On Demand says it has providers available 24/7 and offers online mental health care by appointment for therapy and psychiatry.
How does Doctor On Demand work?
Doctor On Demand can be accessed from a web browser or through its mobile app. For online mental health support, users can choose between 25- or 50-minute online therapy sessions. For online psychiatry, users can schedule an initial 45-minute visit and can then book 15-minute follow up visits.
Unlike platforms such as BetterHelp and Talkspace, Doctor On Demand does not offer direct messaging with its providers, which can be inconvenient for some users—as it was for one of our testers. The platform does have a messaging center, but it only connects you with customer service.
From one of our Doctor On Demand testers
“(Customer service) said the only way to contact your provider is to call customer service and tell them you need to speak with your therapist and (customer service) will inform (them). I would certainly prefer some sort of direct messaging system like I have with most of my doctors.”
How to sign up for Doctor On Demand online therapy and psychiatry
New users can sign up for Doctor On Demand through its app or website.
To sign up through the website, follow these steps:
- Enter your information, including name, gender, email address, date of birth, and a password for your account.
- Enter your insurance information or press Skip Insurance.
- Select whether you’re receiving Doctor On Demand through your employer-covered benefits or not.
- Navigate to the Mental Health section of the site and choose whether you want to book an online therapy or psychiatry session.
- Select your therapist or psychiatrist from a list of providers or take a questionnaire that can help you narrow down provider choices. You can filter providers by availability, focus area, gender, and language.
- Enter your reasons for the visit, answer a brief questionnaire about your health and lifestyle, and take an assessment that asks about your anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Submit your payment information to book your visit.
- You can attend your visit through the Doctor On Demand app or website.
One of our testers encountered some technical issues while signing up for the platform. There were instances during their health history intake where pages weren’t loading or they weren’t able to navigate back to change their answers. In addition, when another of our testers scheduled their appointment for the same day, they didn’t receive a confirmation right away, which they say was confusing to not know whether the appointment booking went through.
How to match with an online mental health provider
Doctor On Demand users can choose a provider from a listing or get matched with one. For online therapy visits, users who want to get matched with a therapist will be asked:
- How you would like to feel working with your therapist (e.g., calm, capable, confident, focused).
- Which conditions you’d like your therapist to specialize in (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma, gender identity).
- Your preferences for therapist gender (male, female, or no preference).
- A brief questionnaire about how you’ve been feeling over the last two weeks.
For online psychiatry sessions, Doctor On Demand shows all the available psychiatry providers licensed in your state. It has the following filters that can help you narrow down providers:
- Appointment availability.
- Focus area.
- Gender.
- Language spoken.
Using these filters, our testers researched psychiatrist availability in their area and were able to find providers that had same-day or next-day appointments.
In a mental health emergency
Online providers may not be the most appropriate resource to help in a mental health crisis. If you or someone you know is a danger to themselves or others, it is an emergency and cannot wait for an online therapist’s response. Don’t wait. You can find help immediately by:
- Calling 911
- Visiting your local urgent care or emergency room
- Calling or texting 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Chatting online at 988lifeline.org
- Calling the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 or texting your zip code to 435748
All the above options will connect you with trained professionals who can provide crisis support. You can find even more resources, including international options, on our helpline directory page.
Provider profiles show information about their background, appointment availability, credentials, languages spoken, and focus areas. Though the platform promotes its diverse team of providers, one of our testers was disappointed because they could only filter providers based on a binary gender identity and languages spoken. They weren’t able to find a way to choose a therapist based on preferences such as racial or ethnic identity, sexual orientation, or specialization in treating certain age groups.
Though Doctor on Demand offers 24/7 virtual medical appointments, the availability of online therapy appointments on the platform can vary by location. One of our testers found that they had limited choices in therapists when they looked for an evening appointment.
From one of our Doctor On Demand testers
“The options were pretty limited, especially if you want to be seen at a certain time. … There was only one other therapist with availability in the next few days and he only had one evening spot.”
Doctor On Demand only shows the next three time slots available, but you can click Show Full Availability to see the provider’s appointment availability up to a month in advance.
If having a wider choice of providers is important to you, consider Talkspace or BetterHelp. Our testers found these platforms offered a larger and more diverse selection of therapists, with appointment times that suited their schedules as well.
Live video sessions
One of our testers experienced issues attending live video sessions. They weren’t able to see a link to join their confirmed session and had to contact customer service to receive a refund. After rescheduling their appointment, our tester successfully joined their session through the Doctor On Demand website, although the platform’s customer service representatives advised our tester that the mobile app may be a more reliable way to attend video appointments.
During their first online therapy session, one of our testers noted that they were asked a lot of questions about their medical history and weren’t able to get as much time dedicated to discussing their mental health history.
How much does Doctor On Demand cost?
Online mental health sessions on Doctor On Demand are priced per session rather than as a monthly subscription. These are the costs of virtual sessions on the platform, without insurance, as of August 2024:
- Online therapy sessions cost $134 for a 25-minute session and $184 for a 50-minute session.
- Online psychiatry sessions cost $299 for an initial 45-minute visit and $129 for 15-minute follow-up sessions.
The platform accepts payments by credit card, health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) funds, or PayPal.
Is Doctor On Demand covered by insurance?
Doctor On Demand visits are covered by some insurance plans, including Medicare. The platform accepts insurance plans from popular providers such as Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Humana, BlueCross BlueShield, UnitedHealthCare/Optum, and Wellmark BlueCross BlueShield.
You can find a list of insurance plans it takes on their website. To get a quote for a cost per session or the copay you’re responsible for after using your insurance, you’ll need to download their app, create an account, and add your insurance information. You can also contact your insurance provider directly.
Our Handbook Team compared online mental health platforms that take insurance. Learn more in our roundup of online therapy that takes insurance.
How to save money on Doctor On Demand
Doctor On Demand doesn’t have any discounts or financial assistance, but people with in-network insurance plans can use their benefits to help pay for sessions on the platform.
Our experience with Doctor On Demand customer service
Similar to MDLIVE and Brightside Health, Doctor On Demand customer service can be reached via messaging through the platform, email ([email protected]), or phone (800-997-6196). One of our testers had positive experiences with the phone support agents, who helped them get answers to their questions faster than through email.
When one of our testers encountered a technical issue attending their online therapy appointment, they found phone communication to be unhelpful. Our tester missed their appointment entirely while waiting on hold for an agent to respond. Though Doctor On Demand agents were eventually able to give our tester a refund for the technical issues, the agents weren’t able to reschedule our tester’s appointment over the phone.
Our Doctor On Demand testing experience
Our Handbook Team has spent over 10,000 hours collectively researching online mental health platforms, including telehealth platforms that offer mental health services like Doctor On Demand. We had testers sign up for Doctor On Demand, attend their sessions, and compare their experiences with other online platforms.
Our team of testers signed up for Doctor On Demand to evaluate its provider choices, attend sessions, and interact with customer service for four weeks. Our team surveyed over 2,000 online therapy and psychiatry users. These surveys informed our understanding of the online platforms beyond our tester experience, providing context for who is actually using the platforms and how they benefit from them. Finally, we compare our data points from testing and researching Doctor On Demand to those of other online mental health platforms to give readers insights into their choices in online mental health care.
Learn more about our online therapy testing and review methodology.
Fill out the intake assessment.
Subscribe as a new user.
Research therapist and psychiatrist availability.
Get matched with or choose a therapist.
Schedule and attend therapy sessions on the platform for four weeks.
Go through the steps to switch therapists.
Contact customer support with questions or to report issues.
Explore other appointment types on the platform.
Cancel subscription.
Compare Doctor On Demand to other online mental health platforms
Doctor On Demand is similar to telehealth platforms such as MDLIVE, which offers individual online therapy and psychiatry appointments. Compared to MDLIVE, visits on Doctor On Demand cost more without insurance.
Without insurance, Doctor On Demand visits also cost more when compared to online mental health platforms that offer monthly subscriptions. Online therapy sessions on BetterHelp, Brightside Health, and Talkspace can cost between $70–$109 out-of-pocket per session, while sessions on Doctor On Demand start at $134 without insurance.
The cost of online psychiatry without insurance on Doctor On Demand is similar in cost to MDLIVE and Talkspace. MDLIVE has more affordable initial and follow-up visit costs, but Doctor On Demand has a more affordable follow-up visit cost compared to Talkspace.
Compare other online psychiatry options in our roundup of the best online psychiatry platforms.
| Cost for online therapy* | $134–$184 per session | $276–$436 per month ($69–$109 per live session)† | $108 per session | $299–$349 per month‡ ($74.75–$87.25 per live session)† | $260–$400 per month ($65–$100 per live session)† |
| Cost for online psychiatry* | $299 for initial visit; $129 for follow-up visits | $299 for initial visit; $175 for follow-up visits | $284 for initial visit; $108 for follow-up visits | $95–$349 per month‡ | – |
| Insurance accepted? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Services | Individual therapy, psychiatry, urgent care, medication management | Individual and couples therapy, psychiatry | Individual therapy, psychiatry, urgent care, primary care, medication management | Individual therapy, psychiatry | Individual therapy |
* Without using insurance.
† Monthly cost divided by four monthly live sessions.
‡ $349 for combined online therapy and psychiatry plan.
Our final verdict
Doctor On Demand is an online telehealth platform that offers access to mental health services, including therapy and psychiatry, that you can schedule per session. It can be a convenient way for people with in-network insurance plans to book same-day or next-day mental health appointments. But without insurance, the platform’s online therapy sessions can cost more than similar platforms like MDLIVE, Talkspace, and BetterHelp.
The platform may be a good choice for people who want to use their insurance and who want to find an appointment within 48 hours. Our testers note there isn’t much choice in providers compared to other online therapy platforms, so you may not have as wide of a selection if you have specific provider preferences or an inflexible schedule. The platform may not be a good option for those who don’t have patience navigating technical issues, since our testers ran into some problems while signing up and joining their online appointments.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Doctor On Demand is a legitimate telehealth platform that offers virtual visits for urgent care, medication management, online therapy, and online psychiatry. Doctor On Demand providers are licensed.
Online therapy through Doctor On Demand costs between $134 and $184 per session without insurance. Online psychiatry sessions cost $299 for an initial session and $129 for a follow-up session without insurance.
Psychiatry providers and medical providers on Doctor On Demand can prescribe medication if necessary, depending on the telehealth prescribing laws where you live.