According to a press release…

Leading health care provider Fairview Health Services and online health care innovator Zipnosis have launched the nation’s first virtual protocol to prevent chronic conditions. This new approach to virtual care enables remote diagnosis of chronic conditions, connects the online experience with trusted physicians, and coordinates interventions when clinically appropriate.

This first-of-its-kind, clinician-driven online health risk assessment screens for diabetes and cardiac disease, and is believed to be the first such solution to incorporate expedited laboratory access and customized patient education. Co-developed by Zipnosis and Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, this innovative approach to chronic care screening and diagnosis is now being offered to Fairview employees. It’s given the companies the ability to test the new offering while also providing these employees with a convenient way to determine whether they have, or are at risk for, diabetes or cardiac conditions – without needing to schedule an office visit for a screening.

Fairview plans to eventually roll out the program to its patients and residents across the state of Minnesota.

It all starts with the patient and sounds like it can all be done from the comfort of your own home – or bus stop – anywhere you have connectivity…

With the new solution, patients are able to use their iOS or Android smartphones, computers or other web-enabled devices to complete a short online adaptive interview anywhere, anytime, 24/7. The interview guides patients through a series of questions that adjust to their answers based on established, evidence-based medicine guidelines. If lab tests are needed, patients are provided with a ZipTicket® boarding pass, which enables instant referrals to laboratory testing at nearby lab locations, leveraging trusted health system providers. Once the lab results are available—24 to 48 hours following testing—a board-certified provider employed by Fairview reviews the findings in combination with the interview results and makes a recommendation. Patients receive a summary of the findings via email, along with customized educational material to empower adherence to the recommended plan.

If patients are diagnosed with a chronic condition through a virtual visit and related diagnostic testing, they will need to follow up with their primary care provider or a specialist for ongoing care and medication management. Urgent cases will be routed directly to the appropriate care setting based on clinical findings.