Medicaid patients may access dermatological services through telehealth technology

PROVIDENCE – UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid patients in Rhode Island may now have their dermatological issues diagnosed and treated more quickly, thanks to remote digital imaging and telehealth technology through Thundermist Health Center, according to a joint statement from UnitedHealthcare and Thundermist.
This new e-consultation service allows primary-care providers at Thundermist, a community nonprofit health clinic with locations in Wakefield, West Warwick and Woonsocket, to deliver more timely diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. During a patient’s exam, a physician takes and sends digital images – through a secure, online electronic medical record – of problematic moles, growths or other troublesome conditions. Within two business days, the physician then receives a diagnosis of the health concern.
Through these consultations with offsite dermatologists, physicians more quickly diagnose and treat UnitedHealthcare Medicaid patients, especially those who may not have easy access to dermatologists or other specialists. According to a 2014 JAMA Dermatology report, the average wait time for an in-person appointment is 46 days.
“It was very easy to conduct an electronic consult for my patient, and the results came back very quickly. I simply transmitted a picture of the concern through our medical record, and a licensed dermatologist reviewed it and provided diagnosis and treatment recommendations,” Dr. Sara Delaporta, the first care provider in Rhode Island to conduct an electronic consult through Thundermist, said in the statement. “This service gives my patients access to extremely timely care.”
“We are collaborating with Thundermist on this innovative technology to ensure our Medicaid members in Rhode Island will have better access to quality care, no matter where they live,” UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island CEO Patrice Cooper said in the statement.
Skin cancer and other skin-related issues are a significant concern in Rhode Island. Approximately 240 Rhode Islanders were diagnosed with a skin melanoma on average every year from 2007-2011; annually, approximately 33 died each year due to melanoma during that same time.
Charles Jones, Thundermist’s president and chief executive officer – who will leave the organization early next year – lauds this new opportunity. Thundermist’s primary-care providers access more specialty expertise and support, and patients avoid additional financial and transportation burdens while getting this specialty care.
Thundermist and UnitedHealthcare worked with Community Health Center’s Weitzman Institute of Middletown, Conn., to set up and conduct the electronic consults. Care providers across the nation use Weitzman’s Community eConsult Network to get prompt access to high-quality specialty care for their patients, the agencies reported. The Jessie B. Cox Trust funded the Community Health Center to develop the eConsult Network, and offered a challenge grant to Thundermist to evaluate its eConsult adoption.

No posts to display