Texas A&M Health Science Center is teaming up with telemedicine kiosk company OnMed to bring more virtual care options to people living in rural Texas, according to a July 9 announcement from Texas A&M Health.
The telemedicine station is part of the Bryan, Texas-based health science center's Moonshot Research Project, which aims to create innovations in rural health with support of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. The OnMed telemedicine station will open in August at the Milam County Sheriff's Office in Cameron, Texas.
"In rural counties, [the telemedicine station] can provide access to care when primary care is not available without having patients drive 30 to 40 miles to an ER and unnecessarily tying up critical resources," said Joy Alonzo, PharmD, a clinical assistant professor at Texas A&M University's college of pharmacy.
The telemedicine station features a high definition camera, which allows a clinician to visually examine a patient to assist with their diagnosis. Additionally, the standalone booth conducts a thermal scan once the patient enters to take their temperature.
The floor of the telemedicine station serves as a scale, which measures the patient's weight, and the seating area of the station stores blood pressure and heart rate devices to measure the patient's vitals. There is also a remote operated stethoscope available to help the clinician evaluate the patient's heart and lungs.
Once a diagnosis is made, the telemedicine station can dispense hundreds of common prescription medications the clinician orders on the spot or print paper presicriptions. Following each visit, the booth is cleaned using ultraviolet surface and air sanitization.