Northwell Health Offers Telehealth Consults to State Department

After being selected as a subcontractor by the US Department of State (DOS), Northwell Direct will assist DOS providers in treating US government employees stationed overseas.

Following the growth of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic, many of its benefits have become apparent. These are largely related to improved care access and limited exposure to the deadly coronavirus disease.

A high number of USG employees are currently posted overseas, resulting in the need to provide coordinated healthcare across the globe. Under a new contract, Northwell Direct will assist the DOS medical providers in serving international employees.

Northwell Direct, owned by Northwell Health, aims to assist employers in optimizing costs, enhancing productivity, and maintaining good health among employees and customers. Leveraging the Northwell Health Network of physicians, Northwell Direct will provide DOS providers with access to expertise in over 100 specialties, including orthopedics, cardiology, radiology, neurosciences, and emergency medicine.

“Telemedicine is a unique area of opportunity for Northwell Direct to provide support and expertise to the Department of State,” said Jonathan Berkowitz, MD, medical director of center emergency medical services at Northwell Health, in a press release. “We are virtually leveraging the collective expertise of our health system in innovative ways. The breadth and depth of services we have across our network, coupled with our advanced telehealth and integrated technology platform, allows us to extend our reach and impact far beyond the traditional borders of the health system and appropriately support the Department of State.”

DOS providers can request a virtual consultation with Northwell specialists 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The contract includes Northwell providers supporting pre-deployment medical clearances and clinical case reviews.

“Northwell Direct is proud to be working with the United States Department of State and doing our part to ensure that the employees and family members who serve our country have access to the highest quality health care services while serving abroad,” said Nick Stefanizzi, CEO of Northwell Direct, in the press release. “The broad range of services we have deployed to meet the unique needs of the DOS are representative of the holistic approach Northwell Direct takes to support all of its employer clients both domestically and internationally.” 

This is not the first time Northwell Health has supported healthcare overseas through telehealth. The Northwell Center for Global Health worked with the Ukrainian military in April 2022 to provide telehealth through a two-phase initiative. This effort aimed to help address the ongoing hardships throughout Ukraine due to the Russian invasion in early 2022.

The first of the two initiatives consisted of providing various mobile platforms, such as laptops and tablets, to support a telehealth call center. The other initiative provided high-fidelity telehealth systems to address combat trauma in the operating room. 

Northwell Health also announced a partnership with Teladoc in April 2022 to deliver connected virtual care and expand the delivery of care.

Specifically, the collaboration allowed Northwell patients to access the Teladoc virtual care platform. According to Martin Doerfler, MD, associate chief medical officer at Northwell, the partnership would help the health system optimize its direct-to-consumer telehealth programs.