Gastroenterology is the latest specialty to take the plunge into offering telehealth services. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) has announced a partnership with a technology vendor on GI OnDemand, a telehealth platform that enables providers to get reimbursed for out-of-office patient support and provide patients with a way to manage their chronic digestive health conditions through virtual office visits with their gastroenterologists and other members of their care team.
ACG worked with a company called Gastro Girl to create GI OnDemand, which they say integrates with a provider's patient workflow with scheduling and documentation of virtual patient appointments. Similar to work flow for in-office visits, providers can submit for reimbursement for the telehealth patient care services they provide.
"This bold initiative is aligned with the College's mission to advance gastroenterology and improve patient care,” said ACG President Sunanda V. Kane, M.D., in a statement. “We are confident that our members, who like most healthcare providers are navigating an ever-changing and challenging healthcare environment, will find GI OnDemand a catalyst to delivering next-generation patient care while expanding their opportunities for reimbursement."
Gastro Girl was already serving as ACG’s official patient education partner for the approximately 70 million individuals in the United States who suffer from digestive symptoms, disorders, and diseases. Its execs said that the platform can enhance continuity of care, provide HIPAA-compliant provider-patient communication and allow reimbursement for out-of-office encounters.
Gastro Girl Founder Jacqueline Gaulin noted that partnering with ACG, an organization with a unique focus on clinical gastroenterology and the needs of practicing GI clinicians and their patients, “means that GI OnDemand has the clinical backbone and essential features to support the professional needs of GI practices in providing high-quality care and patient support via telehealth.”
