“Access to timely follow-up specialty care in the city has long been an issue for our patients, and this can have a real and adverse impact on their health,” Laurie Sabin, DO, assistant medical director of Park Medical Centers, said in a March 6 system news release shared with Becker’s. “Many of our patients have been with us for decades, if not their entire lives, and they have shared with us the difficulties and anxieties they can have when being referred to a specialist. This is our way of acknowledging and eliminating barriers.”
The pilot program launched Feb. 14, and initially offered psychiatric services in an outpatient setting. Patients were provided a dedicated room and a clinician was present during the telehealth appointment to assist in taking vitals that could be read real time for the virtual provider.
The program was successful among patients and is now being expanded to nearby Park Medical Center clinics. It will also begin offering telehealth visits in cardiology and neurology, with other specialties to follow.
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