... Halsall: Efficiency needed in healthcare delivery
*Thelma, who is in her 60s, says though she has become accustomed to seeing a doctor face to face all her life, she was not against her granddaughter getting her prescription for her using the MDLink app.
“Me no miss the traffic and the waiting at all. That me can live without. Me say me live fi see things like this weh me never coulda ever imagine before. Bups, me get through. Me might can’t use it myself, but me like it. It good to me,” she said.
*Ralph, an elderly man who has not used the system, said he, however, was willing to try it or have someone do it for him, as the way it is described sounds easy and is something that is appealing to him.
MDLink is not yet covered by medical insurance health plans. Sick notes and lab tests are also facilitated by the platform.
Having laid the foundation and still working to improve the quality of healthcare through telemedicine in Jamaica, chairman and CEO of Advanced Integrated Systems (AIS), Douglas Halsall, said some of the challenges that were presented when telemedicine initially entered the market have been addressed.
“With telemedicine, we want it to be a complete thing that improves healthcare delivery so you have to think of all the logistical points. How is it paid for? How does the person get a prescription in a remote area, how do we treat with drug interaction? How do you treat with the patient record history, and how do you treat with insurance if the person has insurance? These are some of the considerations that we have introduced,” said Halsall.
Halsall added that efficiency is something that is needed in healthcare delivery and, noting concerns that doctors might lose money, he said they in fact stand to benefit tremendously.
“It is going to be more money for the doctors as they can use their time more efficiently. At night, doctors can still attend to patients if they so desire. We are already in the process of signing up with two insurance companies for their mobile clinics. These mobile clinics will have telemedicine.
In fact, some of these guys are considering employing doctors for this particular service. Patients will also benefit because telemedicine will make it cheaper for them to consult with a doctor,” said Halsall.
*Names changed