By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
By CAROLYN LUCAS-ZENK
Stephens Media
The doctor is online.
Ka‘u residents may now use the Internet to consult with Hawaii Medical Service Association credentialed physicians and other health care providers. Patients can be treated online for nonemergency conditions, get prescriptions and have questions answered about minor ailments, symptoms or medications, said Mike Cheng, HMSA senior vice president.
The service is part of a pilot project that began in December with Ka‘u Rural Health Community Association’s Health and Wellness Partnership, Cheng said.
The goal is to break down geographical boundaries and help Ka‘u residents receive better access to health care. The pilot also strives to increase awareness about HMSA’s Online Care, an alternative access to health care, in Ka‘u — a rural, underserved and geographically isolated community. The online interaction has been available on HMSA’s website for the public to use since 2009, Cheng said.
Depending on the success of the pilot, HMSA may expand it to other communities, he added.
By appointment, from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, Ka‘u residents can use six computers at the Ka‘u Resource and Distance Learning Center in Pahala to access HMSA’s Online Care.
The Ka‘u-HMSA Online Connection team is led by program manager Jessie Marques, office manager Theresa Richardson and program assistant Rochele Gacayan. Staff members have been trained to help residents through the use of tele-health technology, where patients get real-time medical and health advice from roughly 200 available physicians or other health care providers, Cheng said.
For those who cannot come into the center, appointments can be made with a team member, who can come to the homes or businesses of Ocean View, Naalehu, Discovery Harbour, Pahala and Wood Valley residents and demonstrate how to access HMSA’s Online Care.
The service aims to reduce costs for patients. The payment for the online consultation is $10 for HMSA members and $45 for nonmembers. For an in-office consultation, HMSA members’ co-pays are $15 to $20, depending on their plan, and typically $50 to $80 for nonmembers, Cheng said.
HMSA’s Online Care provides fast and easy access to participating health care providers from across the state. With the click of a mouse, HMSA members and nonmembers may have immediate access to a variety of specialists, securely and privately. They can communicate with health care providers online or by phone. They also have a choice of doctors, based on criteria such as specialty, language or gender, Cheng said.
Other benefits include having health information in one place, the ability to send detailed care reports to doctors and convenience for patients who no longer have to travel roughly two hours to a doctor’s office or hospital.