The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 News
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Ankylosing Spondylitis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
      • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Walk-in Medical Kiosks Find Place in Telemedicine

Walk-in Medical Kiosks Find Place in Telemedicine

September 15, 2015 • By Catherine Kolonko

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
HealthSpot stations are equipped with interactive medical devices and touchscreen computers that connect patients with a medical provider.

HealthSpot stations are equipped with interactive medical devices and touchscreen computers that connect patients with a medical provider.
Image Credit: HealthSpot

Technology is taking medicine and the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic to unexpected places. The famed institutions are testing a new way to deliver medical care, with walk-in kiosks mobilized to reach patients who may be too far away, too short on time or facing other challenges that keep them from a traditional doctor’s office visit.

You Might Also Like
  • Telemedicine: One Rheumatologist’s Experience
  • Rheumatologists Expand Reach Through Telemedicine
  • Practicing Telemedicine Raises Legal Considerations for Rheumatologists
Explore This Issue
September 2015
Also By This Author
  • FOCIS 2015: TET Protein Regulation May Provide Insights for Cancer Treatment

Customers and employees at two pharmacies in Cleveland can walk into a high-tech kiosk to access Cleveland Clinic services through private online, high-definition videoconferences with clinic staff. The kiosks, called HealthSpot stations, are equipped with interactive medical devices and touchscreen computers that connect patients with a medical provider.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Constructed with four walls to enhance privacy, these kiosks are one way the Cleveland Clinic aims to meet patient needs in everyday settings, Cleveland Clinic’s Brian Donley, MD, said in a release. The setup allows for extended hours of operation and flexibility for patients who don’t want to, or can’t, wait until a doctor’s office has an available appointment.

This particular pilot program gives patients the option to walk up to the station without an appointment and receive treatment for minor and common health conditions. Marc’s Pharmacy is the first retailer in Ohio to offer this telehealth platform that, combined with cloud-based software, delivers healthcare in a new-tech way that one day could be expanded to encompass rheumatology and other specialty medicine.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The medical kiosk approach also is being tested in the workplace to enhance employee healthcare options. A handful of health insurance companies currently cover telehealth sessions like a regular office visit.

HealthSpot has placed 20 of its stations in four states so far—California, Florida, Minnesota and Ohio—says Lisa Maugham, HealthSpot’s vice president of marketing. It also partners with other major health systems, including Kaiser Permanente, Miami Children’s Hospital, MetroHealth, Florida Blue and John Carroll University in Ohio.

The Need

The development of walk-in kiosks for patient visits, also dubbed doc pods, reflects the escalating pace of telemedicine in a world where technology has its hands in almost every industry. But can the concept adapt to the field of rheumatology, which is closely reliant on hands-on examination of patients?

Mr. Kropp

Mr. Kropp

Rheumatology patients who live in rural areas that are hours away from the nearest rheumatologist may benefit the most from telemedicine that incorporates technology like that used for the Cleveland Clinic’s kiosks. In his work with tele-rheumatology, Stephen Kropp, MS, system director of eHealth and Outreach Services at Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Mo., says rheumatology patients often tell him that not having to “drive into the heart of the city” to receive patient care tops the list of patient satisfaction.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 | Single Page

Filed Under: Practice Management, Technology Tagged With: kiosks, patient care, rheumatology, Technology, telemedicineIssue: September 2015

You Might Also Like:
  • Telemedicine: One Rheumatologist’s Experience
  • Rheumatologists Expand Reach Through Telemedicine
  • Practicing Telemedicine Raises Legal Considerations for Rheumatologists
  • New Recommendations Support Effective Use of Telemedicine in Primary Care

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2021 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.