Sacramento-based UC Davis Health will provide pediatric telehealth services to 14 Northern California counties through a new agreement with Partnership HealthPlan of California, effective July 1.
PHC is a nonprofit, community-based public healthcare organization that contracts Medi-Cal benefits with the state and local providers. PHC provides care to vulnerable patient populations, including low-income residents in rural areas, children and people with disabilities.
Through the partnership, the UC Davis Pediatric Telemedicine Program will provide services covering more than 15 pediatric subspecialties. The program allows clinicians and patients to participate in real-time remote consultations and evaluations through audio-visual communications.
This initiative is part of a goal set by David Lubarsky, MD, vice chancellor and CEO of UC Davis Health, and State Sen. Richard Pan to create a "virtual children's hospital" to meet the healthcare needs of all children in Northern California, according to the June 23 news release.
"Healthcare is driven by patient needs and technology," Dr. Lubarsky said. "Video-enhanced healthcare is one lesson learned from COVID-19 – innovate with technology in a human-oriented way that best serves patients. We must provide care where patients want it, when they want it, how they want it, and this new partnership does exactly that for children in these counties."