VALENCIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. HealthWorks, a national leader in occupational medicine, announced the launch of a new Telemedicine service offering for bloodborne pathogens exposure.
The program is available 24/7/365 through U.S. HealthWorks CareConnectNOW app and features rapid access to U.S. HealthWorks physicians for individuals with potential exposure, enabling evaluation within minutes of the exposure incident and counseling for medically appropriate follow-up care.
OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to make immediate confidential medical evaluation and follow-up available for workers who have an exposure incident, such as a needle-stick, or specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM).
Workers in many occupations and industries can be at risk. First responders such as EMT, paramedics, fire, police, and healthcare personnel in clinical settings (hospital, outpatient, assisted living and skilled nursing, etc.) face potential exposure at work. Educators, hospitality housekeepers, janitors, security and other loss prevention personnel also have exposure incidents.
“Emergency Rooms are the traditional site of care for bloodborne pathogens exposure,” said U.S. HealthWorks Medical Director Mark Pucek, M.D. “Telemedicine visits help keep these individuals out of the Emergency Department when they don’t really need to be there.”
The U.S. HealthWorks CareConnectNOW Telemedicine protocol for exposure incidents includes comprehensive medical history and immunity status, counseling, and follow-up care recommendations, including labs and prescriptions electronically transmitted to 24-hour pharmacies for Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), if appropriate.
Services are currently available in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, with more states to be added later in 2017 and early 2018.
About U.S. HealthWorks
U.S. HealthWorks, a subsidiary of Dignity Health, is one of the country’s largest operators of occupational healthcare centers with 253 medical and onsite clinics in 21 states, employing more than 4,000 people, including approximately 1,200 medical providers. Our centers collectively serve more than 14,000 patients each day, providing quality medical care to help employees return to work and allow employers to effectively manage claims and reduce lost work time. U.S. HealthWorks also offers special early return-to-work, injury prevention, and ergonomics programs. For more information, please visit www.ushealthworks.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter
