Primary care doctors in rural parts of New Jersey are receiving education and training from specialists via “tele-monitoring” clinics so patients don’t have to travel long distances to get a specialist’s care.
The Press of Atlantic City reports the three remote-access clinics were launched in 2016 as part of the New Jersey Project ECHO Academic Medical Center Hub from Robert Wood Johnson Partners. The participating physicians work in hepatitis C treatment, pediatric mental health and endocrinology.
“It saves the patient trips and allows primary-care physicians to take more complete care of patients,” said Vinod Rustgi, MD, MBA, clinical director of gastroenterology and director of hepatology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “What it allows is the point of contact for care to happen earlier.”
The targeted patient population is Medicaid beneficiaries. While 2.8 million people are estimated to be living in poverty in the state, few physicians in the state accept Medicaid patients.
For more on how physicians and specialists communicate within the program and how it can effect referrals, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.