Boston telehealth company and rival in tense patent fight

Two competitors in the fast-growing field of telehealth are engaged in a legal dispute about intellectual property, as each aims to become the country's leading provider of remote patient-doctor encounters. American Well Corp. of Boston and Teladoc Inc. of Lewisville, Texas, are battling over technology that enables patients to connect online with doctors and other health care providers. American Well has secured more than two dozen patents to protect what it considers proprietary technology — complicated software that took several years and millions of dollars to develop, executives say. But Teladoc claims American Well is trying to quash competition with patents that are too broad and cover processes too obvious to be patented.