CLEVER Telemedicine Business Solutions
More than 10% of adults in Louisiana are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and this number is expected to almost double over the coming years. What you may not know is that despite commonly accepted standards of care, which recommend annual fundus exams interpreted by a qualified eye care provider, nearly 50% of all diabetics never receive their annual eye exam. The resulting failure to meet this standard of care has led to diabetic retinopathy becoming the primary cause of blindness in the United States in working age adults.
A solution to this dilemma is available and simple to implement; combine the successful capture of diabetic patients by primary care clinics with the specialized diagnostic interpretation capabilities of a highly experienced eye care provider linked via a secure, Internet-based telemedicine service. CLEVER Eye Institute has several different business models that can be adapted to your needs, including purchase and leasing arrangements for various types of cameras. We can help you select the best camera for your needs and which we feel confident in recommending. We can also work with you if you already have fundus photography capability and are looking for a reading center to review and grade the images.
We are looking to create long term partnerships with physicians and healthcare providers who share our mission to reduce blinding eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, our motivation is not to sell you technology, but to provide guidance and solutions that will help to lower healthcare costs for your patients, while delivering the best available recommendations for vision care.
We can provide a partnership that improves patient care and satisfaction, that results in increased HEDIS scores for your practice, and which can offer you a new stream of revenue to your office to make the service cost effective.
Accreditation / Certification / Licensure
All of our fundus photography readers are accredited, certified, and licensed doctors. If your practice is outside the State of Louisiana and you have concerns about legal issues concerning telemedicine in your area, we can help you find the answers to your questions. Currently, we also offer reading services to the neighboring State of Mississippi, and we are looking for opportunitites to expand outside of our local area.
Encryption / HIPAA Compliance / Informed Consent
Our services use state of the art electronic data encryption technology to ensure that patient data are secure during all steps of the review and reporting process. Thus, you and your patients can be assured that HIPAA standards for privacy are being met.
Fundus photography is a standard clinical procedure for assessing retinal health, and is normally covered by the Informed Consent documentation process you have established with your patients. No additional Informed Consent documentation is necessary unless you intend to use telemedicine services for research studies. If you do intend to use telemedicine in a research capacity, we can assist you in setting up the proper procedures for IRB approval.
Stark Law and Anti-Trust Law Compliance
We fully comply with all laws concerning referrals and pricing of our services. When applicable, our leasing agreements are based on length of time and not on volume. Services for cash and not billed through insurance are commonly used and very affordable.
Cost / Reimbursement
Please contact us to discuss the cost of our services. While reimbursements are largely determined by insurance and Medicare rules, there are differences in our pricing structure that depend on software and equipment options, as well as the fair market values in your community for office space and other leasing agreements. Services agreements based on cash have few restrictions compared to insurance and Medicare and may be a better option for your practice. We would be happy to discuss all of the options with you at your convenience.
A telemedicine reading station displaying central field fundus photographs of right and left eyes.