Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI)

Dermatologist volunteers across the U.S. partner with a local clinics that serves the under-insured or uninsured people who have trouble accessing dermatology care in a reasonable time frame.

The consults started out on a basic cell phone with a camera. Click Diagnostics developed an Android-based application for the AAD project because cell phone access is more widespread than Internet access. The AAD bought a phone for each clinic participant that came preloaded with the teledermatology application.

If the primary care physician wants a consult with a dermatologist, he or she first asks the patient's permission. They then use the app to take a picture of the condition. The physician also answers a series of questions, as prompted by the app. The photo and history are bundled and sent to a Web portal maintained by the AAD.The consulting dermatologist who is paired with that clinic gets an email that a case is waiting. When the dermatologist gives the consult, it is sent back to the phone and to the primary care physician’s account on the Web portal.

The local pairings are crucial, because if the consulting dermatologist believes a biopsy or follow-up with a dermatologist is required, the patient will be referred to a local specialist. 90% of cases are answered within 24 hours of receipt. The rest get responses within 72 hours. The idea is to take the experience gained internationally, particularly in American, and apply it to shortage areas in Africa.