VisualDx, a diagnostic clinical decision support system, has teamed up with the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) to provide access to its technology for free to all members.
Through the collaboration, AMWA members, which include female physicians, residents and med students, will be able to use VisualDx to help with diagnostic and treatment decisions. The tool offers clinical search, a vast medical image library, medical knowledge from experts and algorithms to help with diagnosis, treatment and patient communication.
“The more we can make sure everybody has the right tools the more we can try to move the needle on making sure better care is delivered,” Nada Elbuluk, M.D., dermatologist and director of clinical impact at VisualDx, told Fierce Healthcare.
The technology will be available to AMWA members for four months, after which time it will be available at a reduced rate. The idea is that if a practitioner can access a powerful tool and see its impact, “it can be transformative in how you practice and deliver your care,” Elbuluk said.
AMWA aims to address the gender gap in healthcare leadership through educational programs, mentorship, research, constituency building and policy reform. “The single best dermatology resource for any physician is a subscription to VisualDx,” Elizabeth Kiracofe, M.D., dermatologist and AMWA member, said in a press release. “It’s so helpful to doctors newly in practice to craft a thorough and efficient differential diagnosis of a patient’s rash, as well as for seasoned dermatologists to use the image banks to share photos with patients so they know they are not alone in their diagnosis."
The partners first worked together as part of VisualDx’s global Project IMPACT, a global collaborative aimed at reducing health disparities in patients of color. Driven by shared missions to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion in medicine, the two decided access to VisualDx will help further empower women in medicine.
VisualDx is used at more than half of U.S. medical schools and by more than 2,300 hospitals and clinics worldwide. The latest announcement comes on the heels of other VisualDx initiatives to widen global access to its platform, the company said in a press release. It received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop diagnostic tools for specific diseases in India and Nigeria and worked with the Vermont Department of Health on an initiative to help providers diagnose and respond to public health threats.
The company has also been selected by the Department of Health and Human Services to develop algorithms that identify infectious diseases and worked with the American College of Emergency Physicians to help support the diagnosis and treatment of monkeypox.