— By Lily Perkinson
Mark Prather, emergency room physician, and Kevin Riddleberger, physician assistant, pooled their brain power to launch DispatchHealth, which delivers medical services directly to patients in the comfort of their own homes. The model is a game-changer in the delivery of healthcare. DispatchHealth’s medical teams now serve NoVa communities around Fairfax and Arlington as well as the greater Richmond area.
Prather and Riddleberger’s goal was to create healthcare that improves patient outcomes, provides better patient and provider experiences, and lowers medical costs. The medical professionals making house calls are the same people in hospitals—physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and medical technicians—and are aided by the remote support of an emergency medicine physician. Additionally, they cover a vast array of treatment options—from viral infections to physical injuries.
By eliminating hospital visits that could be solved more simply and avoiding appointments that require weeks of waiting, the DispatchHealth teams provide faster attention that meets the specific needs of each patient.
DispatchHealth.com
This article originally appeared in the October 2024 issue.
