Watch: ConferMED Brings More Equitable Access to Specialty Care with Grant from Quest Diagnostics Foundation

ConferMED, one of the nation’s leading eConsult companies, was recently awarded a grant from the Quest Diagnostics Foundation to address a leading cause of health inequity: lack of access to specialty care. The funding, awarded as part of the Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE) initiative, has helped ConferMED address the growing challenge of limited access to specialty care and high costs when patients are referred to providers outside of primary care.

With support from Quest, ConferMED was able to enhance its eConsults platform and provide virtual consultations with specialists to primary care providers at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in 5 regions across the US: Dade County, FL; Cook County, IL; Baltimore County, MD; Harris County, TX, and Suffolk County, MA. These eConsults with specialists increase access to care in areas where specialty care services are limited, improve health outcomes for underserved patients, and save patients and participating providers time and money. As of December 1, ConferMED has enrolled 19 FQHCs serving over 475,000 uninsured and underinsured patients in the Miami, Chicago, Baltimore, Houston, and Boston areas.

“We’re incredibly excited to have received funding from the Quest Diagnostics Foundation. It has allowed us to bring all of the services that ConferMED provides to practices in 5 regions across the country, completely free of charge for those practices,” said Daren Anderson, MD, President, and Founder of ConferMED. “The grant is covering the full cost of implementation and integration and two years of services for all specialties, adult and pediatrics, and make those services available to all FQHCs in those regions, allowing us to make specialty care more equitable.”

Using the ConferMED eConsult platform, specialists are able to quickly and accurately review cases with front line providers and provide input and develop the optimal care plan for patients. The process helps improve chronic disease outcomes, reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and prevent long-term complications.

“We are thrilled to see the initial results from this collaboration come to fruition and to bring specialty care services to segments of the population that may not otherwise have access,” said Michael Floyd, Senior Director, Quest for Health Equity. “This program is touching lives across the country, and we are proud to play a role in it and help under-resourced communities improve health outcomes.”

Click here to see more about how ConferMED is helping to improve access to specialty care for patients and providers in under-resourced communities.