Telemedicine-Enabled Urgent Care Supported
The Most Vulnerable Population
TELEMEDICINE GRANT CASE STUDY
Telehealth Grant Brought the Clinic Right Into the Home
A nurse “telepresents” an individual to her remotely located physician using a Medpod MobileDoc telemedicine kit. The telemedicine kit can include diagnostic instruments such as high definition cameras for allowing the physician to examine skin, eyes, ears, nose and throat, an ECG for evaluating heart activity, and a digital stethoscope for listening to heart, lung and bowel sounds. The kits used in the grant also contained a pulse oximeter, blood pressure machine and thermometer.
TELEMEDICINE GRANT FEATURES
Successful Outcomes Reported in Grant Findings
- 86% reduction in Emergency Room visits
- 99% patient satisfaction
- 50% faster access to care
- 37% reduced risk of stroke
- 26% reduction in highest cost utilization
- 68% improvement in lowest activated individuals (Patient Activation Measurement level 1’s)
Conditions Treated With Telemedicine In the Grant Program:
- Bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis
- Diarrhea/Constipation
- Urinary Tract Infections
- Rashes / Bug bites
- Influenza
- Asthma
- Conjunctivitis
NY DEPT. OF HEALTH GRANT DELIVERED CLINICAL, FINANCIAL, SATISFACTION OUTCOMES
Telehealth made an enormous difference in the daily lives and health of over 2,000 individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in New York. It happened during a 3-year grant-funded program1 designed to increase access to care, improve health outcomes and reduce unnecessary Emergency Room and hospital utilization.
Enrollees had access to a 24/7 triaging nurse call center and local nurses who could travel to the residence after hours — weekday evenings and weekend days — to provide urgent care. The traveling nurses carried a Medpod MobileDoc, a video-enabled telemedicine rollerbag with diagnostic devices.
From the individual’s residence, they would telepresent the patient to a remotely located Nurse Practitioner or physician. The remote provider could assess, diagnose and order care, as well as e-scribe antibiotics for delivery or pick up. The result: within a 1-2 hour window, an individual could be seen, assessed and treated without leaving home or disrupting the group home’s schedule.
The clinical, economic and patient satisfaction outcomes were so favorable that Telehealth Associates subsequently partnered with Long Island Select Healthcare, a provider of medical services during the grant, to create a Virtual Care Clinic for Long Island-based individuals who participated in the grant and others.
