Intermountain Health On-Demand Services Expansion to Improve Access to Common Meds and Services (1945900)
The goal of Intermountain Health On-Demand Service is to improve access to specialists, particularly in rural areas. Patients may have to wait longer or travel further to get to a specialist.
Intermountain Health is expanding its on-demand service to provide patients with faster access to medications and other medical services, without the need to visit a doctor.
The recent expansion has increased the number of products available in Utah, Nevada Idaho and Montana. It is important to improve access to healthcare in rural areas, where there may be longer travel or waiting times for specialists.
Mason Hilton, director of community pharmacy at Intermountain Health, said that Intermountain Health’s “on-demand” services help us achieve the goal to bring healthcare closer to our homes and make access to care easier. This helps relieve pressure on the providers, who have now more appointment slots available to patients with urgent requirements.
Intermountain has been offering low-risk medication like birth control and naloxone since 2022. These options now include period pain relievers, hair loss medication, and erectile dysfunction medications.
Some private companies offer similar services. However, patients must often pay an annual subscription or receive full discounts. Intermountain’s on-demand service is different because the patient only pays for one prescription and an appointment, both of which are covered in many cases by their insurance.
Hilton said, “We see this as an opportunity to meet a need that is important in the community, particularly for rural residents.” We also know that people are used to receiving fast, efficient service delivered right to their doorstep. This is our way of bringing customer service to the healthcare industry.
Filling out an on-line form, and then speaking to a pharmacist over the phone will allow patients access to medications and treatment. The medication will be sent directly to the patient if the pharmacist does not see any complications or medical problems.
The virtual appointment costs between $20 and $50, depending on the service selected.
Utah now offers on-demand lab draws, whereby a phlebotomist comes to a patient’s house to collect the sample and then brings it directly to the laboratory for testing. Many people who can’t make it to the medical office will find this convenient.
The lab also offers a colon cancer screening test, which patients can do at home. They then mail it back to the laboratory for analysis.
Click here for more information on Intermountain Health’s On Demand Services.
Intermountain Health
The company is headquartered in Utah, with additional locations across the Western U.S. Intermountain Health Select Health, which has more than 1 million members and is part of a non-profit health system, includes 34 hospitals and approximately 400 clinics. It also offers other services. Intermountain’s mission is to help people lead the healthiest possible lives. It is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health that has more than one million members as well as other health services. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
