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NEW YORK, N.Y. and DEERFIELD, Ill. – NewYork-Presbyterian and Walgreens are partnering to bring convenient access to NewYork-Presbyterian’s world-class care through new telemedicine services, now available through Walgreens digital properties and at self-service kiosks at select Duane Reade drugstores in New York.
NewYork-Presbyterian, New York’s No. 1 hospital, is offering the telemedicine services as part of its NYP OnDemand suite of digital health services.
“We believe that telemedicine can play a critical role in connecting patients with providers,” said Greg Orr, divisional vice president of digital health for Walgreens said in a statement. “We can now help to bring awareness of services that are offered locally by trusted providers such as NewYork-Presbyterian.
“We are pleased that NewYork-Presbyterian will be the first local healthcare provider to collaborate with us on our evolving telehealth and digital strategy,” Orr added.
“We are delighted to work with Walgreens to bring NewYork-Presbyterian’s world-class care right to your neighborhood drugstore with this exciting new platform,” said Dr. Steven J. Corwin, president and chief executive officier of NewYork-Presbyterian.
“Patients can expect to receive focused, one-on-one care from leading physicians, where and when they need it. We believe telemedicine has a critical role to play in expanding access to high-quality care, and we are proud to be at the forefront of digital healthcare delivery,” he explained.
The first NewYork-Presbyterian NYP OnDemand kiosk is currently available at the Duane Reade location at 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, with additional locations expected to open in 2018. These kiosks, located in private, secure rooms inside the stores, offer instant examination, diagnosis and treatment of non-life threatening illnesses and injuries through NYP OnDemand Urgent Care.
With the touch of a button, patients can reach board-certified Weill Cornell Medicine emergency medicine physicians, who provide exams through a high-definition video-conference connection. At the end of the examination, if the physician writes a prescription, it can be instantly sent to the patient’s preferred pharmacy.
Pediatric emergency medicine physicians will also be available to provide care during more limited hours. Physicians from ColumbiaDoctors are expected to participate in early 2018.
“These kiosks provide real-time care for our patients, enabling them to consult Weill Cornell Medicine physicians privately through the convenience of their local drugstores,” said Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine.
“We are proud to work with NewYork-Presbyterian and Walgreens to extend the reach of our doctors beyond their offices, making healthcare accessible to patients across the city.”
“This technology gives us another way to bring Columbia physicians to the neighborhoods where our patients live and work,” said Dr. Lee Goldman, dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine and chief executive of Columbia University Irving Medical Center. “Improving access to doctors is a fundamental way to improve our patients’ health and well-being.”
In addition to the in-store kiosks, Walgreens customers in the New York area using the Walgreens website can access NYP OnDemand Urgent Care to video chat with board-certified emergency medicine doctors.
The kiosk experience is further enhanced with medical devices to provide key information to the physician during the virtual visit. These include a forehead thermometer that measures temperature with a gentle swipe of the forehead, a blood pressure cuff to measure blood pressure and a pulse oximeter that measures the amount of oxygen in the body. A dermascope, which allows the provider to see a high-resolution view of skin conditions, is also available.
“We’ve had much success over the years working with NewYork-Presbyterian at our on-site Walgreens pharmacy,” said Dr. Pat Carroll, chief medical officer for Walgreens Healthcare Clinics. “We value this innovative collaboration and look forward to finding new and different ways to work together to enhance patient care.”
Visit times are expected to take about 10 to 20 minutes but will vary depending on the patient’s individual needs. The urgent care service is designed to care for non-life threatening conditions, illnesses and injuries such as: sore throat, allergies, rash, pink eye, abdominal pain, asthma, cold or the flu, dizziness, fever, and sprains. For a full list of conditions, please refer to: www.nyp.org/ondemand/urgent-care.
The kiosk hours at 40 Wall Street are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians can be reached from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays.
The video visits are part of NewYork-Presbyterian’s award-winning digital health suite of services, NYP OnDemand. Launched in 2016, NYP OnDemand, in collaboration with Weill Cornell Medicine and ColumbiaDoctors, is designed to improve access to NewYork-Presbyterian’s world-class care, allowing patients to easily communicate with physicians from a mobile phone, tablet or computer – and now through these kiosks at select Duane Reade locations.
