When someone is seeking a diagnosis for a medical condition that requires a specialist, it can be difficult to focus on anything else. Doctor's appointments are made, time is taken off work, insurance is involved. And then there is the wait.
According to a report by Merritt Hawkins, the average wait in 2022 to see a specialist in the U.S. was 26 days — up 8% since 2017, with specialty areas like dermatology and gynecology and obstetrics accruing even longer wait times. Added to the already lengthy time it takes to receive a referral from a primary care doctor, patients are waiting at least a month and a half before an appointment with a specialist might take place. During this time,
Read more:
To help people receive more efficient care, Summus Global, a virtual medical specialist platform, developed a program that connects members virtually with top specialists of any kind, anywhere. By lifting the geographical restraints between patients and specialists, its members have seen weeks of waiting cut down to days, and even hours.
"What we've put in place is a virtual platform that radically accelerates access to high quality specialty care, and it has attracted the best doctors in the country," says Julian Flannery, CEO of Summus. "It's a powerful tool for employees to get access to high quality doctors quickly, in a very human-driven process. Ultimately we're arming them with good information and data to make good decisions about their care."
A personalized connection to the medical community through Summus allows members to seek all levels of virtual care, from simple questions posed through their app and answered by RNs, to calls with their team of nurses and doctors who can provide a reference to a specialist, and address any medical issue someone is having at the time. If a face-to-face doctor visit is needed immediately, Summus guides members to a provider who accepts their plan and insurance.
This engagement practice has been overwhelmingly successful and garnered extremely high customer feedback ratings — a testament to the embrace of virtual care by both medical professionals and their patients. Clients range from financial services firms to commercial packaged goods to academic institutions such as Notre Dame.
"Your first interaction with Summus is going to be clinical," Flannery says. "The whole concept is personalization, people feeling empowered, cared for, and blown away by the access to these really good doctors who are spending quality time with them."
Read more:
Employers also see the
"We're in specialized care — that's where the cost and complexity is," says Flannery. "If you make a good decision on spine surgery and decide to do a less invasive surgery, that's a $75,000 savings. There's a really exciting value proposition for the employer space, and we see an opportunity to make an impact here."
Summus' diverse team of medical professionals are in a unique position to fall into step with their members, regardless of where they may be on their medical journey. Whether it's accelerating initial steps with chronic conditions, quarterly check-ins, nutrition advice, or enrollment in clinical trials — care is multidimensional and goes from start to finish, Flannery says. To establish relationships with members early-on and encourage healthy choices, Summus also offers a lifestyle medicine and
Read more:
This quick, expert advice means employees utilizing Summus can spend less time searching for answers, and more on what matters day-to-day.
"We know how challenging it is to access specialty care," Flannery says. "We have a really simple goal, which is fast access to [high] caliber doctors and meaningful health interactions. We're there to really support people and drive better decision-making, better access and better outcomes."
