Five-Star Bank teams up with our medical facility in a trial initiative aimed at broadening healthcare availability in remote rural areas.
In an innovative move, the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has partnered with Five Star Bank to bring telemedicine services closer to home for residents in rural communities of Upstate New York. This partnership marks the first time a health system has collaborated with a financial institution to provide telemedicine-equipped health stations.
The initiative, which was announced today, will see Higi health stations installed in select Five Star Bank branch locations in Steuben and Seneca Counties. These health stations will allow users to measure and track key health indicators, such as blood pressure and weight, and will facilitate live, on-demand telehealth appointments with providers from URMC.
Michael Hasselberg, Chief Digital Health Officer of URMC, stated that the goal is to provide patients with access to care as close to home as possible. The telemedicine approach allows for alignment with patients' existing health providers or referral to a local primary care provider if they do not have one.
The initiative aims to expand health care access in rural communities where residents may lack ready internet access at home. Many residents in the selected communities also have limited access to locally-based health care providers. By partnering with Five Star Bank, URMC hopes to make advanced care more accessible and convenient for these residents.
In a news release, Five Star Bank expressed its enthusiasm for the partnership, stating that it aligns with their mission to serve the communities they operate in. The bank believes that by providing a trusted location for residents to access telemedicine services, they can help bridge the gap in healthcare access in rural communities.
This partnership is the latest in a series of telehealth initiatives by URMC and Five Star Bank. URMC has been at the forefront of telemedicine, offering a variety of services to patients across Upstate New York. Five Star Bank, a wholly-owned community bank subsidiary of Financial Institutions, Inc., has shown a commitment to its communities by supporting various initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life for its residents.
As the partnership moves forward, URMC looks forward to exploring the potential of this collaboration to bring telemedicine services to more rural communities in Upstate New York. This innovative approach could pave the way for similar partnerships in the future, improving healthcare access for residents in rural areas across the country.
The Higi health stations, installed in select Five Star Bank branch locations, will not only allow users to monitoring their health indicators but also facilitate live, on-demand telehealth appointments, bridging the gap in healthcare access in rural communities. With this initiative, Five Star Bank and the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) aim to make advanced science and health-and-wellness services more accessible and convenient for residents in these communities.
