While the Elevate Hollistics has had major success in Oklahoma and in larger Missouri cities, they are working to develop telehealth applications in rural communities and in areas where the internet might be limited. Co-founder, Stephen Stearman, trusts that better access to services will improve the health and well-being of those in need of such treatment.
Stearman
“I believe it’s important that everyone has access to the program and when you look at the rural areas in the Midwest you just don’t have a number of clinics or doctors,” explained Stearman. “When you look at telemedicine it’s just so important for equal rights and access. It makes things so much easier. A lot of those folks who happen to live way out in the country still don’t have good service, that’s why we try to set up good relationships in towns so they can go in and get seen.”
Elevate Holisitcs hopes to benefit patients by prioritizing their personal experience with a health care provider. Time, expenses, and the standard of care that patients receive are factors that Stearman and his company emphasize when discussing how telehealth efforts could be extremely beneficial to these areas.
“You have time and convenience. People can sit at home and use their technology to have a conversation with someone,” Stearman explained. “A lot of calls don’t need to be that in-depth and most people experience with doctors and the appointments only last five, ten, fifteen minutes at the absolute most. When you consider the ease, the benefit to the individual is saving time, saving money, and still getting quality care.”
Assisting patients remains a top priority for Elevate Holistics according to Stearman. Their mission is to provide services to individuals who may not have the means to use telehealth either due to lack of internet or devices. For this reason, the company works to create a strong dynamic with doctors and stores so patients can have access to these services.
“We are able to serve patients that really wouldn’t have access (to telehealth) due to not having a smartphone, not having a computer or the quality of service on their land or somewhere in their neighborhood,” Stearman continued. “What we try to do is get in the community and try to find a relationship that will allow people to come into their location and serve patients. We have to go into the community, start having conversations with people, figure out who’s an ally in the program, figure out do they want to help people have access to this medicine, and when you find somebody who wants to be involved then you help them get set up with some technology that enables the patients come to get seen by the doctor.”
Patients only need to know basic information regarding telehealth. There is no complex process that may be difficult for users to understand. They do not for medical records or any other personal or detailed information. All the company requires is for individuals to sign the proper forms and to be aware of how to use basic video functions.
“With Elevate Hositics, we don’t require people’s health records, so if you’re talking about what people could do to prepare for a call for their MMJ certification, it’s just filling out our intake and health form prior to the call,” said Stearman. “It’s really just filling out those forms prior to the call and making sure their camera and microphone are on. That’s the big thing. Knowing how to get those settings because for legal purposes you have to see the person’s ID next to their face on the video call. Those things have to be turned on and troubleshot. Making sure you have the technology and works and you’ve got the appropriate information is really all you need.”
Stearman concluded by addressing the myths facing telehealth. According to Stearman, the quality of care is at the same level as an in-person visit to the doctor’s office. While there are those who believe that the process may be taken advantage of, Stearman assures that evaluation through telehealth is just as valid. In some ways, he also believes it’s improved.
“A big myth is that the quality of care isn’t up to snuff or isn’t what it needs to be. Because these doctors say you have to have a physical examination in order to make a proper assumption. But when we look at people’s information, we see that patients tell the truth. People simply don’t lie to doctors, it’s a very small percentage of people that do. A lot of people think that telemedicine is all about people trying to get over or you can’t properly diagnose somebody and that’s just false,” Stearman explained. “When you look at someone the doctors know how people are answering questions. If they say that they have this injury and they take this medicine then a doctor can automatically see by asking questions whether they’re telling them the truth. You’re able to figure out a lot of information quickly on a telemedicine call and the doctors can make the same assumptions. There really isn’t that much limitation. Usually, with telemedicine calls, you’re spending more time with the patient than most normal doctor’s visits. You’re able to make a good assumption and to at least give guidance. The doctors know enough that they can then point you in the right direction and, oftentimes, the telemedicine calls are so much cheaper. You’re able to make more informed decisions by seeing someone using telemedicine.”
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