Virtual care for the trades. For the days you do not need to be in a clinic.
Construction has the second-highest uninsured rate of any occupation (27.8%) — most small specialty subcontractors offer no benefits. TeleDirectMD provides virtual care for the conditions trades workers actually let drift: hypertension, diabetes, back and shoulder pain, minor lacerations and cellulitis, mental health. For the day-to-day care that an uninsured tradesperson would otherwise skip entirely.
No PEPM, no per-visit fees, no contracts with money in them. Your team pays $59 per visit or uses BCBS / Aetna / UHC in-network.
Construction & Trades: who they are, what they need
The trades have a profile most healthcare systems are badly designed for: roughly 90% male, 33% Hispanic, average age 42, and 27.8% uninsured — the second-highest rate of any major occupation.
- ~8.5M US construction and extraction workers (2024) BLS CPS 2024
- 27.8% Uninsured rate — 2nd highest of any occupation US Census Bureau Sept 2025
- ~33% Hispanic workforce NIOSH Construction Safety
- 2,120 Construction eye injury/illness cases in 2020 — highest of any occupational group BLS Eye Injuries 2023
The tradesperson health problems virtual care actually solves
Construction medicine is musculoskeletal injury, occasional acute injury, respiratory irritation, and a lot of uncontrolled chronic disease. TeleDirectMD is a primary-care practice for the chronic and routine — not an OSHA-recordkeeping or occupational-medicine vendor.
Acute low back pain / lumbar strain
Why this workforce: 15.2% of construction workers report "a lot of back pain"; 17.5% in workers 50+. Non-opioid management (NSAIDs, methocarbamol, tizanidine), activity counseling, PT referral, light-duty letters — all virtual.
Knee pain / patellar tendinopathy / bursitis
Why this workforce: Specialty trade contractors had the highest MSD rate of any construction subsector (28.4 per 10,000 FTEs). Prepatellar bursitis is particularly common in tile setters, flooring, roofers.
Shoulder strain / rotator cuff tendinopathy
Why this workforce: Repetitive overhead work in electricians, painters, drywallers, HVAC. NSAIDs, activity modification, imaging referral if needed.
Minor eye irritation (referral-heavy)
Why this workforce: Construction trades have the highest occupational eye injury rate of any group. Most job-site eye injuries (embedded foreign body, chemical splash, vision change) require in-person care — we do not manage these by telehealth. Mild conjunctivitis or post-irrigation follow-up can be assessed by video, but our default is to triage to ER or urgent care.
Hand and wrist lacerations
Why this workforce: Tool injuries from power tools, saws, sheet metal. Wound assessment, antibiotic prescribing for infected wounds, WC documentation, tetanus review — virtual. Deep/gaping wounds get an immediate suturing referral.
Asthma management (workplace-aware)
Why this workforce: Silica dust, wood dust, drywall dust, isocyanates from spray foam — significant particulate exposure across the trades. Standard asthma medication management is primary-care scope. Spirometry, OSHA medical surveillance exams, and occupational asthma evaluations are in-person and handled by occupational medicine.
Wound cellulitis from contaminated abrasions
Why this workforce: Soil, concrete, metal contamination of job-site wounds. Oral antibiotics for uncomplicated non-abscess cellulitis. Abscesses requiring I&D get an in-person referral.
Heat exhaustion
Why this workforce: Outdoor work in summer; OSHA identifies construction as high-risk for heat illness. We assess severity, counsel on rehydration, and triage to ER for any heat-stroke indicator. Heat stroke is a 911 emergency — we say so plainly.
Hypertension (often undiagnosed)
Why this workforce: A 27.8% uninsured workforce largely lacks primary care. Job-site BP screenings frequently reveal first-time diagnoses. Treatment initiation and ongoing management — fully virtual.
Tinnitus from noise exposure
Why this workforce: Construction is consistently among the highest-noise industries. We provide tinnitus management counseling, audiology referral, and documentation for hearing conservation programs.
What we do — and do not — replace
Construction operates under heavy OSHA medical surveillance requirements (respirator clearances, silica, lead, asbestos). These are occupational-medicine workflows handled by dedicated vendors — they are not primary-care services. TeleDirectMD is a primary-care practice; OSHA surveillance is not what we do.
- OSHA respirator medical evaluations (29 CFR 1910.134), silica surveillance (29 CFR 1926.1153), lead/asbestos surveillance (29 CFR 1926.62 / 1926.1101). These are vendor services your contractor likely already procures through occupational medicine. We do not offer them.
- What we do. Primary care between OSHA-mandated exams: hypertension management, diabetes management, cholesterol, mental health, acute illness, minor MSK assessment, prescription refills. Particularly valuable for the 27.8% of construction workers who are uninsured and have no primary-care home.
- Return-to-work after illness or minor injury. When a worker has had a primary-care visit with us, a standard work-excuse note is part of the encounter. For injury-specific WC return-to-work programs, your contractor should use its dedicated WC clinical vendor.
What this benefit changes day-to-day
Hypertension and chronic disease management for the 27.8% uninsured
These workers have no primary care home. We initiate treatment, monitor labs, and manage routine refills via flat-rate visits — the kind of primary care this workforce typically goes without.
Acute illness without losing a day
Sinus infections, UTIs, skin infections, GI illness — handled by video, prescriptions sent to the worker's pharmacy. No clinic detour mid-job.
Back and shoulder pain within virtual scope
Minor MSK injuries (lumbar strain, rotator cuff irritation) can be assessed and conservatively managed by primary care. Injuries that need imaging or in-person exam are triaged.
Mental health for trades workers
A construction worker who needs an SSRI or SNRI for depression or anxiety can get one through primary care. No controlled substances, no addiction treatment.
Spanish-language accessibility
33% Hispanic workforce. Professional interpretation services expand access for crews where English is not the primary language.
What TeleDirectMD honestly cannot do
We tell employers up front where virtual care stops. It protects your team, your liability posture, and our license.
- No OSHA medical surveillance programs. Respirator medical evaluations (29 CFR 1910.134), silica surveillance, lead and asbestos surveillance, audiometric programs — these are occupational medicine services. We are a primary-care practice and do not offer them.
- No workers' compensation clinical packages. A construction visit with us produces a standard primary-care clinical note. Specialized WC return-to-work programs are run by dedicated occupational medicine vendors.
- No DOT/CDL exams. If your tradesperson also drives commercially, the DOT physical itself remains in person.
- No in-person procedures. No sutures, no embedded foreign body removal, no abscess drainage, no spirometry. Anything that needs hands-on care gets triaged.
- No emergency care. Severe chemical splash, eye injury with vision change, heat stroke, severe respiratory distress = ER or 911.
- No controlled substances. No Schedule II–V prescribing via telehealth.
- No pediatric care. Adults only (18+).
What this saves you
Construction healthcare economics are driven by uninsured exposure, MSD lost time, and the cost of routine OSHA medical compliance.
- 27.8% of construction workers are uninsured. A condition that could have been managed by primary care often becomes a $1,200–$2,500 ER visit instead — borne by whoever ends up paying.
- MSD median: 15 lost days per case. At a median $58,360 salary (~$28/hour), 15 missed days = $3,360+ per case in direct wage continuation, plus replacement labor (CPWR June 2025).
- OSHA respirator clearance commercial pricing: $75–$150 per worker. Telehealth processing reduces this substantially with same-day turnaround — particularly valuable when mobilizing dozens of workers for a new contract.
- $0 to the employer. Workers pay $59 per visit or use commercial insurance in-network. The contractor signs a one-page agreement.
Construction employer FAQ
- We have workers who need OSHA respirator medical clearances before they can start a job. Can TeleDirectMD do those?
- No — OSHA respirator medical evaluations are an occupational-medicine workflow, and we are a primary-care practice. Your contractor should continue to use its dedicated occupational medicine vendor for 1910.134 clearances, silica surveillance, lead and asbestos surveillance. What TeleDirectMD provides is the day-to-day primary care between those exams: hypertension, diabetes, acute illness, mental health.
- One of my workers got something in his eye on a job site. Is this a telehealth situation?
- For most eye injuries, no. Embedded foreign body, chemical splash with ongoing pain, any vision change — those need in-person care immediately. For mild post-irrigation follow-up or simple conjunctivitis, primary care can help, but our default is to refer to in-person urgent care or ER. Construction has the highest occupational eye injury rate of any group precisely because these are serious injuries.
- My subcontractors don't offer health insurance to their crews. Is there anything I can do as a general contractor?
- Some general contractors are now including TeleDirectMD access as a primary-care benefit for all workers on their sites — regardless of which subcontractor employs them. This isn't traditional health insurance, so it does not create an employment relationship or ACA obligation. It ensures your 27% uninsured crew members have a doctor to call for chronic disease management, acute illness, or mental health. It is not a replacement for site-specific OSHA medical surveillance, which still goes through occupational medicine.
See the main employer FAQ for cost, contract, and compliance details. Brokers — see the $250 partnership program.
Book a 15-minute discovery call
Dr. Bhavsar or someone from his team will be in touch within one business day.
Or call us directly at (678) 956-1855