One of the first artificial intelligence (AI) medical stations in Arizona is now open at Safeway on Broadway in Tempe near Arizona State University.
“This is groundbreaking and special and something that offers access of care to a lot of people. Akos has been a great partner and we are committed to increasing our customer experience with the advancements of Akos,” said Joe Leyba, Albertson Companies’ director of pharmacy at the Akos Med Clinic grand opening on Thursday morning.
The Akos Med Clinic, which was developed by AdviNOW and Akos, along with ASU students and interns who helped develop the technology, is a leader in the urgent care and telemedicine areas, partnered with Safeway to bring in-store medical clinics to several stores throughout Arizona. This is the second Akos Med Clinic location, as the first Akos Med Clinic is in Glendale, which opened in October.
“Through the Akos Med Clinic and Akos app, we are bringing care to the community, whether it’s on the wellness side or sickness,” said Kishlay Anand, Akos founder and CEO. “If you need help with a minor cold or a cough, you don’t have to wait hours in an emergency department, you can walk to your nearest community location and get care made available to you.”
When patients visit the Akos Med Clinic, they sit in front of a computer screen and a rack of simple-to-use, FDA-approved medical devices, and are guided by Augmented Reality through self-administered steps to collect data such as weight, temperature, blood pressure, and blood oxygen content, as well as ear, nose and throat images, and chest, lung and abdomen sounds. Follow-up questions are asked until the information necessary for diagnostic decision is collected. The total process typically takes less than 15 minutes. A complete patient workup is sent electronically to an Akos provider with a breakdown of potential illnesses and treatment options. Through a video consultation, the provider engages with the patient to confirm the AI-collected information, verify the diagnosis, and confirm or modify the treatment plan formulated by the system.
Every detail of the visit is automatically charted and scribed into the electronic medical record. The AI also sends the prescription and/or test orders to the appropriate healthcare partner, e.g. imaging centers, pharmacies, etc., and completes the billing process. In the appropriate time frame, depending upon the diagnosis, the AI follows up with the patient to check their health status and schedule a follow-up visit, if warranted.
“As we have executed, the trust and partnership Kishlay and I have is really a required component to be able to deliver the solution we have here today,” said James Bates, AdviNOW Medical founder and CEO.
“On behalf of Mayor Mark Mitchell, the City Council and all of Tempe, for bringing this great technology to our community, we know it will change lives for many in our community and those that visit us, and we appreciate you all making that investment here, we look forward to your future success,” said Jill Buschbacher, economic development program manager, City of Tempe.
Anand and Bates said Akos and AdviNOW plan to expand the Akos Med Clinics to all Safeway locations in Arizona, and eventually have a presence in Safeways nationwide.
