RICHMOND, Va. , March 20, 2024 -Remission Medical announced a partnership with Sentara Health to increase access to Rheumatology care for adult patients.
For 130 years, Sentara has pursued its mission – “we improve health every day.” Part of improving health is ensuring swift access to specialists, with maximum convenience including video visits.
According to the CDC, one in four US adults have a rheumatic condition, especially arthritis, which is characterized by joint pain and stiffness. Rheumatic disease can affect quality of life, both at home and work, and can be hard to diagnose, given there are some 150 disease varieties.
“The medical literature shows that the time to diagnosis and treatment matters for certain conditions in rheumatology such as rheumatoid arthritis,” says Steven Pearman, MD, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Medical Specialties from Sentara Health. “Starting treatment with the right therapy can avoid the damage to joints that comes with these conditions. In addition, access to Rheumatology is limited by increasing demand and a dwindling supply of specialists. Telehealth is well-suited for rapid triage and timely access to care.”
Sentara has long been a leader in telehealth, having forged an alliance with MDLIVE (now Cigna) in 2012, and becoming the first integrated health system in the USA to offer virtual access. Virtual rheumatology appointments for onset patients is part of this continuing telehealth focus.
“We’re a Virginia company,” said Blake Wehman, Founder & CEO of Remission Medical, “and we’ve witnessed how Sentara innovates in patient access, digital health and value-based care. We’re honored to be working with Sentara providers to ensure rheumatic patients are seen with speed and diagnostic accuracy.”
The collaboration will allow for potential rheumatic disease onset patients to receive virtual visits for triage and virtual care in between in-person appointments with their Sentara rheumatologist.
About Remission Medical
Remission Medical is a national virtual rheumatology clinic addressing the full range of rheumatological conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, Lupus, and Gout, among others. Remission Medical’s providers include state-licensed, board-certified rheumatologists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners with deep expertise in all autoimmune inflammatory conditions.
