New Program to Use Telehealth to Expand Urologists' Reach to Rural Areas

A new partnership between a telehealth provider and a healthcare staffing company aims to extend the reach of urology specialty care to underserved parts of the country.

Ohio-based PercuVision is joining forces with LocumTenens.com, a physician and advanced practitioner staffing agency aligned with Georgia’s Jackson Healthcare network, to launch a pilot connected health program in five states for residents who need urologic care but face issues accessing a specialist.

According to the American Urology Association’s 2018 survey, there are roughly 12,000 practicing urologists in the US, or less than four per 100,000 people. Many are clustered in urban areas, leaving 62 percent of the nation’s counties without a practicing urologist.

According to that survey, just 12 percent of the nation’s practicing urologists, or slightly less than 1,500, have participated in a telehealth program – a low percentage but a nice increase from the 8.5 percent cited in the AUA’s 2016 survey. On a positive note, roughly 83 percent of those using telemedicine expect their organizations to expand those services in three years.

And more than 60 percent of those using telehealth say they’re doing so to extend specialist care to residents in underserved areas.

On the flip side, almost half of those using telehealth said there’s no or insufficient reimbursement from Medicare or private payers, while 40 percent see a lack of support from Medicaid.

Through the partnership, LocumTenens.com, which works with some 2,400 hospitals and health systems, will facilitate teleurology treatment through PercuVision’s DirectVision Telehealth Hub, giving rural care providers audio-visual access to urologists for help with urologic examinations and other services, including catheter placement.

The pilot program will involve care providers in Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming and Texas. Officials chose those states because of the distribution of people and care facilities in rural areas, state Medicaid programs that offer telehealth reimbursement at the same rate as in-person care, and policies that allow telehealth practitioners from other states to practice in those states.

“Access to specialized medical care, particularly within certain regions of the US, continues to be a critical issue,” LocumTenens.com President Chris Franklin said in a press release. “The partnership between PercuVision and LocumTenens.com brings together innovative medical technology, telehealth and specialized staffing solutions in a way that can truly impact people’s lives.”