PercuVision and LocumTenens.com Partner to Offer Tele-urology Services in Underserved Areas
Partnership will launch pilot program with plans to expand across U.S.
Columbus, Oh. and Alpharetta, Ga., January 27, 2020—PercuVision® LLC, developer of the leading integrated telemedicine platform, the DirectVision® DVS-III Telehealth Hub, announced today it has partnered with LocumTenens.com, a prominent physician and advanced practitioner staffing agency, in a pilot program to provide clinical and emergency tele-urology services across the United States. The partnership is expected to improve access to care by extending urology services to urban and rural areas where there are few or no urologists.
According to an American Urology Association survey, the shortage of urology specialists is particularly acute compared with other specialties, with 62 percent of counties in the United States having no practicing urologists. The partnership addresses this pressing need by expanding the geographic practice areas of urologists, allowing clinics and primary care facilities to offer a range of urologic services via telehealth.
As a practicing urologist, PercuVision founder Errol Singh, M.D., F.A.C.S. understands that many patients are unable to access a urologist, but this gap in care can be bridged with virtual medical solutions, such as PercuVision’s DirectVision product line when paired with LocumTenens.com’s expertise in providing telemedicine. The DirectVision products were created to improve patient outcomes by advancing the standard of care through the application of vision technology. “Vision should be the first resort, especially for patients at risk for difficult urinary catheterizations, not the last,” said Singh. “With the PercuVision Telehealth Hub and the clinicians staffed by LocumTenens.com, who have a wealth of telehealth expertise, urology services will be available to many more patients in greatly expanded service areas.”
LocumTenens.com’s clinicians help deliver care to more than seven million patients in over 2,400 healthcare facilities nationwide. The staffing agency has a dedicated telehealth division, led by Director Pamela Ograbisz, DNP, FNP-BC, that creates custom-built workflows and optimizes providers’ tele-urology requirements. Non-urologic providers guided by LocumTenens.com urologists using the PercuVision DirectVision Telehealth Hub can manage urology patients with image-guided instruments for a number of urologic examinations and services, including video interventions and catheter placement.
PercuVision’s Telehealth Hub connects patients with specialists through a built-in video conferencing platform, combined with its DirectVision line of accessories, to support a broad range of medical examinations including:
Live video interventions
- Urinary catheterization
- Consultation
- Endoscopy
- ENT
- Dermatology
- Dentistry
Patient Monitoring
- Digital stethoscope
- Blood pressure
- Pulse oximetry
Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Wyoming are targeted for the pilot study due to the populations and distribution of people who are often many miles from full-service medical centers. The states also provide telehealth parity for reimbursement through their Medicaid programs, or reimbursement at the same rates as in-clinic care. In addition, the states allow out-of-state physicians who have applied for telemedicine permits to practice in their states.
“Access to specialized medical care, particularly within certain regions of the U.S., continues to be a critical issue,” said Chris Franklin, president of LocumTenens.com. “The partnership between PercuVision and LocumTenens.com brings together innovative medical technology, telehealth and specialized staffing solutions in a way that can truly impact people’s lives.”
About PercuVision
PercuVision® LLC's mission is to improve patient care and safety by applying microfiber-optic bundle technology to common global medical procedures. The DirectVision line of products use patented micro-endoscope technologies to bring vision to blind medical devices. More information on the company can be found by visiting www.PercuVision.com.
About LocumTenens.com
LocumTenens.com is a full-service healthcare staffing agency, specializing in the temporary placement of physicians, CRNAs, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at healthcare facilities across the United States. As the industry’s most-visited job board, LocumTenens.com helps healthcare organizations connect with the professionals they need to ensure patients have access to quality care. Founded in 1995, LocumTenens.com is part of the Jackson Healthcare® family of companies. Learn more at www.locumtenens.com/about.
For LocumTenens.com media inquiries, please contact Deb Zelnio at zelnio@locumtenens.com.