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A Penn Medicine van brings free eye disease screening to neighborhoods
Penn's Scheie Eye Institute in MOTION van screens people in underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods for glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other conditions, with telehealth reads by ophthalmologists and donor-funded treatment for uninsured patients.
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Penn Medicine's Scheie Eye Institute in MOTION van brings free screening for glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other eye conditions into underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods, WHYY reported. Ophthalmologists read the tests by telehealth. Donor funds can cover treatment for patients who are uninsured. The van is a screening service in those neighborhoods. The donor support is for treatment when someone without insurance needs it. A screening find is not, by itself, completed care.
For the classroom
Penn Medicine sends a van, called the Scheie Eye Institute in MOTION, into Philadelphia neighborhoods where eye care is hard to reach, WHYY reported. People can be screened at no charge for glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other eye conditions. Ophthalmologists read the tests by telehealth, which means a specialist looks at the results from somewhere else. For patients without insurance, donor money can pay for treatment. A screening is a check. It is not a promise that every person who steps on the van will need, or get, the same care.
- Why bring an eye clinic to a neighborhood instead of asking everyone to travel?
- What is the difference between a screening and a treatment?
- How can a doctor in another place still read a test done in a van?
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