The Princeton, Ind.-based Onsite Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are collaborating to provide second opinions and medical consultations via telemedicine services in Afghanistan.
UPMC physicians will offer their services in dermatology, infectious disease, neurology and orthopedics, although other service lines may be added later. Onsite OHS, which serves defense, energy, manufacturing and other customers worldwide, expects to expand UPMC’s consultations to other countries in southwest Asia and potentially to several states in the U.S., officials say.
UPMC physicians will provide their consultations starting in March to Onsite OHS physicians, and those doctors will remain responsible for patient care. Using a web-based telemedicine system developed at UPMC’s Technology Development Center, UPMC’s physicians can provide Onsite OHS with a consult within hours of notification and receipt of necessary patient medical information.
UPMC’s expanding telemedicine program for adults and children encompasses nearly 40 service lines and serves patients in India, Singapore, Kazakhstan, China, Ireland, Italy, Colombia and Mexico. “This collaboration will build on our extensive telemedicine efforts, part of UPMC Global Care, which provides patients worldwide with a variety of convenient ways to access our highly specialized care,” Andrew Watson, M.D., chief medical information officer for UPMC’s international and commercial services division, said in a statement.
