Improving access to care, as well as timeliness of care are cornerstones of TMCOne Today, a telehealth service that provides same-day appointments for existing TMCOne patients.

“I have seen a number of patients who are ill and are very grateful for the option to be seen through telehealth,” said Hope Goodman, family nurse practitioner, TMCOne Today. “Most seem to be relieved that they were seen on the same day by someone in their primary care provider’s office.”

TMCOne Today providers are an extension of the TMCOne primary care team, so they can coordinate with a patient’s provider more seamlessly and are fully equipped to order same-day testing to diagnose a patient. They can also help manage preventive health needs such as mammograms and routine labs.

“Compared to other telehealth companies, we are better equipped by being able to bring patients in for diagnostic testing as appropriate to ensure we are providing the most accurate diagnosis and the appropriate treatment for that,” Goodman said.

On a recent telehealth appointment, a patient presented with symptoms of a urinary tract infection. Goodman was able to see the patient’s chart and noticed that she had previously been admitted into the hospital for a UTI that needed to be treated with IV antibiotics. She sent the patient in for diagnostic testing and proactively started her on antibiotics while waiting for results. As suspected, the patient had the same type of oral antibiotic-resistant infection as before. Since the patient utilized TMCOne Today, she did not need to spend hours waiting for a bed in the emergency room, rather Goodman contacted the hospitalist at Tucson Medical Center to arrange her admission while she waited at home with her family.

“There is a stigma that patients must be seen with urgent care if they have same-day needs because their PCP won’t be available,” Goodman said. “But, by increasing the availability of same-day care through telehealth, we are telling people that we are here and available when they need us.”

TMCOne Today started about a year ago. There are currently five providers who see about 300 patients every week.

“I think the TMCOne Today program is going really well,” Goodman said. “I think providing this level of service goes a long way toward keeping patients more connected with their care.”

Learn more about TMCOne Today here.