Partnership with TouchCare Telemedicine Platform to Give North Carolinians New Option for Convenient Care
FastMed Urgent Care, the largest Joint Commission accredited and fastest growing independent urgent care organization in the United States, is enhancing its healthcare services by partnering with leading telemedicine platform, TouchCare, to offer mobile video appointments to North Carolinians via smartphone or tablet. Many urgent care conditions can be treated through video consults, but unlike other virtual-only services – such as Doctor on Demand, Teladoc and American Well – FastMed can also see these patients at one of the 57 North Carolina clinics to continue care if further evaluation or tests are needed, in which case the telemedicine appointment fee would be waived.
“FastMed has always believed that affordable, quality healthcare should be available any time and in any location to meet the needs of our patients,” said Kyle A. Bohannon, President & CEO of FastMed. “Our partnership with TouchCare helps us fulfill that objective, on a platform that is both secure and simple to use. FastMed patients will have quick and convenient access to our unique brand of healthcare from a smartphone or tablet.”
TouchCare’s easy-to-deploy mobile platform enables providers and health systems to offer scheduled, HIPAA-compliant video appointments to their own patients, from any mobile device. Through the partnership with FastMed, TouchCare is introducing its on-demand telemedicine module for this statewide launch following a successful pilot program.
“The phased approach to our telemedicine offering allows FastMed to measure consistent consumer demand and high patient satisfaction,” explained Bohannon. “After launching across North Carolina, we plan to expand the FastMed service offering to provide telemedicine appointments to patients in Arizona and Texas by the end of the year.”
The partnership reaffirms TouchCare’s commitment to offering patients access to their own network of trusted healthcare providers – whether those providers are at a small practice, hospital or their preferred urgent care center.
“We’re excited to partner with FastMed to launch TouchCare’s new on-demand telemedicine capabilities, which allow any practice or urgent care center to offer patients easier access to care right when they need it,” explained Damian Gilbert, TouchCare Founder and CEO. “With the addition of TouchCare’s mobile platform, FastMed can provide exceptional care while reducing wait times, admissions, administrative bottlenecks and unnecessary fees for their patients.”
The telemedicine program further establishes FastMed as the preeminent leader in the industry as the first urgent care organization to offer on-demand visits to patients through its own network of providers. FastMed is the largest company in the urgent care industry to achieve the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation in healthcare quality and safety in ambulatory healthcare. FastMed operates more than 100 clinics across North Carolina, Arizona and Texas, providing urgent care and occupational health services.
The TouchCare platform is an affordable telemedicine option for all healthcare providers – from solo practitioners to large clinics or hospitals. Easy to set up, easy to use and massively scalable across an organization, TouchCare works seamlessly alongside existing EHR and practice management tools so that providers don’t have to change workflow.
For more information on telemedicine visits with FastMed Urgent Care, visit FastMed.com/Telemedicine
About FastMed Urgent Care
FastMed Urgent Care is an owner and operator of urgent care facilities with more than 100 locations across North Carolina, Arizona and Texas. FastMed focuses on the delivery of walk-in medicine for non-emergent healthcare needs 365 days per year through licensed physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. The Company’s clinics hold the Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval® for accreditation in healthcare quality and safety in ambulatory healthcare. FastMed is managed by an affiliated entity of one of the investment funds of ABRY Partnerswww.FastMed.com.
About TouchCare
Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, TouchCare brings mobile health to mobile people, offering providers, practices and healthcare institutions a simple way to remotely connect with their own patients through private face-to-face video calls via smart phones or tablets. The TouchCare platform is used by providers at some of America's leading medical centers. For more information, visit www.touchcare.com.
