FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2023
MAINSTAY’S TELEMEDICINE PARTNERSHIP WITH STATIONMD
PREVENTS ER VISITS, SAVING $100K
People with disabilities can see a specialized doctor for most urgent care and behavioral health issues from home, avoiding challenging & expensive ER visits
[Pittsburgh, PA and Maplewood, NJ]— Mainstay Life Services (Mainstay), a support provider agency for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) in Western Pennsylvania, reports that using StationMD’s I/DD-specialized telemedicine service across all its residences over the last two years achieved the following outcomes:
- 245 telemedicine visits took place across Mainstay’s 42 residences over nearly two years
- 92% of individuals who used StationMD’s telemedicine service had their medical matter resolved without leaving home
- 27% of incidents (67 incidents) traditionally would have resulted in a trip to the ER or urgent care clinic but were resolved by StationMD’s telehealth service
- Reducing ER transfer rates by 27% decreased hospital and operations costs by $98,758
- Utilization of StationMD grew by more than 288% since January 2022
“For many of us, when we get sick, we want answers quickly and using telemedicine is such a benefit. It’s no different for the people we work for with intellectual disabilities and autism and our team members that support them,” said Mainstay’s Chief Executive Officer Kim Sonafelt. “Getting to a provider such as an ER or urgent care comes with complications for the people we work for – including risking exposure to other illnesses, disruption of schedules, and staffing coverage.”
Sonafelt explains, “StationMD has helped the people we support to connect immediately from the comfort of home with doctors who understand them best. We’re seeing better health outcomes. Their team is happier, and the cost-savings allow us to offer better services.”
Dr. Maulik Trivedi, co-founding physician at StationMD said, “People with I/DD often have complex medical issues in addition to their underlying disability diagnosis. Our clinicians are able to address and resolve over 90% of the medical concerns via our telehealth solution. We’re providing a backbone of care and serving as a critical medical resource 24/7 for individuals, families, and support staff.”
StationMD currently serves 21 states and performs 35,000 virtual consultations a year exclusively with individuals with I/DD. StationMD can be used 24/7 for urgent care matters like fever and vomiting, seasonal illness, a seizure, a rash, or a fall, but also when an individual or their direct support staff just have a medical question or need a prescription refilled.
Kelley Shepherd is a direct support professional at Mainstay. She often supports up to four people at once and says, “StationMD makes my job easier because I know that I’m not going to get stuck in a scenario where I’m by myself. Working solo for most of my shift, what am I going to do if the person I’m supporting falls? I’ve got two other people who’d have to come with me if I have to go to the ER. Having StationMD is peace of mind.” When StationMD users are surveyed on their satisfaction, 97% say the StationMD doctor helped them and 98% say they would use StationMD again if they needed it.
Mainstay expects to increase utilization of StationMD’s services and has recently expanded the use of StationMD to its life-sharing partners. StationMD and Mainstay will be co-presenting data from their partnership at the annual RCPA conference in October 2023 in Hershey, PA.
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About Mainstay Life Services
Mainstay Life Services provides life-long, high-quality supports to ensure that people with developmental disabilities lead fulfilling lives and realize their vision of a desirable future. Mainstay currently supports 375+ people with developmental disabilities, and their families, throughout Allegheny and the surrounding counties. Services are provided through 24-hour full-care homes, supported living, home & community supports and lifesharing. Mainstay also provides behavioral supports and employment services. Mainstay is the only regional provider that specializes in services and supports for people with Prader-Willi Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
About StationMD
StationMD is a telehealth company dedicated to serving individuals with I/DD. All StationMD clinicians are board-certified and specially trained to treat individuals with I/DD. Clinicians are available 24/7 via telemedicine for urgent and non-urgent medical matters. StationMD also offers scheduled psychiatry via telemedicine to individuals with I/DD. In providing this suite of services, StationMD enables individuals with I/DD faster access to high-quality care and substantially reduces unnecessary medical costs. Learn more at www.StationMD.com and follow along via Twitter (@StationMD) and on Facebook and LinkedIn (StationMD).