SKANEATELES FALLS — Welch Allyn, Inc., on May 13 announced it had inked an exclusive three-year agreement to provide onsite diabetic-retinopathy screening services for the largest primary care organization in eastern Tennessee.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
The organization, Summit Medical Group, has 220 physicians who receive almost 1 million patient visits annually at 54 practice locations.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults, Welch Allyn said in a news release. With early detection, the sight-threatening disease can be treated and the risk of severe vision loss cut by more than 90 percent. But nearly half of all diabetic patients do not get the recommended annual retinal exam because they lack access to specialist care or didn’t comply with their doctor’s referral, the company added.
Using its RetinaVue Network, combining retinal imaging with a network of board-certified physicians, Welch Allyn said it enables retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy as part of a routine primary or convenient-care visit. Improving access and making the screening more convenient can lead to earlier detection and treatment of the disease to help prevent severe vision loss.
“The agreement with Summit Medical Group is a great opportunity for both organizations to work together to provide sight-saving solutions in primary care settings where there is the largest potential for impact on improving population health, while also lowering the cost of care,” Scott Gucciardi, senior vice president, of new health care delivery solutions at Welch Allyn, said in the release.
RetinaVue retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy can also help both provider practices and payer systems to comply with quality-of-care metrics established for diabetic patients under various state and federal health-care programs and with insurance-plan accreditation, the company added.
Welch Allyn is headquartered in Skaneateles Falls and employs nearly 2,600 people in 26 different countries.
