THE PACESSET TERS B Y
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THE PACESE TELEMEDICINE CLINICS REACHED THEIR AMBITIOUS ROLLOUT TARGETS
Before the pandemic forced a rise in telemedicine, UIC launched two telemedicine clinics with the Illinois Department of Corrections and set a model for care that continues to expand and demonstrate wide-ranging benefits.
BECAUSE WE’RE
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC FORCED A RISE IN TELEMED CLINICS WITH THE ILLINOIS DEPARTME THAT CONTINUES TO EXPAND AND DEMONST
O
n a warm and sunny Monday afternoon, Dr. Juliana Chan
are involved and taxing. The telemedicine clinic requires
begins a phone call by apologizing for her voice. It’s
constant attention to detail and an earnest commitment
weak and hoarse, the byproduct of a morning spent in
to collaboration with other health professionals,
constant conversation.
including an on-site nurse as well as a remote physician
Chan spent nearly four hours on Monday, October
and social worker.
2, virtually shuttling between 20 patients spread
The work is also groundbreaking. One of the earliest
across Illinois prisons as the head of UIC’s hepatitis C
examples of a pharmacist-led telemedicine program,
telemedicine clinic run in partnership with the Illinois
the UIC-IDOC partnership has improved patient health
Department of Corrections (IDOC).
among a vulnerable population under the state’s care,
“Twenty-minute visits with new patients and five-minute follow-ups with those who have finished treatment,” explains Chan, a clinical pharmacist and clinical associate professor in the College of Pharmacy’s
unlocked novel opportunities for UIC trainees, and established a sustainable model for others to follow.
TRANSFORMING CARE
Department of Pharmacy Practice.
In early 2010, IDOC came to UIC seeking collaboration
Chan’s efforts, which began on Sunday with
those under its supervision.
appointment prep work that included inspecting patient charts and preparing notes and will extend into Monday evening with a concluding review of the appointments,
JULIANA CHAN
and a better plan to tend to the healthcare needs of
At the time, individuals in IDOC custody were not receiving any standardized care. Medical care, for example, might be provided by a retired specialist or generalist and attention to chronic conditions might be best described as choppy.
TELEMEDICINE OFFERED A COST-EFFECTIVE AND STREAMLINED WAY FOR IDOC TO ELEVATE ITS CARE
UIC-IDOC PARTNERSHIP HAS IMPROVED PATIENT HEALTH AMONG A VULNERABLE POPULATION UNDER 8
T H E P H A R M A C I ST
P H A R M A C Y.U I C . E D U
