Access to healthcare just got easier for Casa Grande residents. The
Safeway store on Trekell Road now has an Artificial Intelligence-powered
medical clinic. Akos Med Clinic operates the clinic, and a grand opening
celebration is planned at the site for April 18 at 10:30 a.m.
Demonstrations of the AI technology and tours are planned.
The Casa Grande store joins 10 other Akos Med Clinic AI-enabled Safeway
locations in Arizona, including Ahwatukee, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale,
Laveen, Phoenix, Scottsdale (2), and Tempe, plus a 12th in
Boise, Idaho. Expansion plans are in the works to bring more stores to
other parts of Arizona, including Tucson next month, and to other states.
So what makes a visit to this healthcare clinic different from the norm?
Patients experience a completely automated health encounter using
Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality:
Patients are greeted by the medical assistant/phlebotomist and given a
tablet to engage with the Artificial Intelligence. The AI guides them
through registration, insurance validation, payment, and information
collection regarding their chief complaint, which is required for
diagnosis.
At the end of the Q&A, the patient is guided to an exam room where they
sit in front of a computer screen and a rack of simple-to-use,
FDA-approved medical devices.
Augmented Reality guides the patient on how to use the devices to
collect objective measurements such as weight, temperature, blood
pressure, and blood oxygen content, as well as ear, nose and throat
images, and chest, lung and abdomen sounds.
A complete patient work-up is sent electronically to an Akos medical
provider (physician or nurse practitioner) with a breakdown of potential
illnesses and treatment options.
Through a video consultation, the provider engages with the patient to
review the AI-collected information, verify the diagnosis, and confirm
or modify the treatment plan formulated by the system. The provider may
also order lab tests that are collected by the medical
assistant/phlebotomist.
On average, the clinic visit will take about 20 minutes.
After the visit concludes, required follow-up tests and/or prescriptions
are ordered by the provider and sent electronically to the appropriate
healthcare partners. The AI also automatically charts the visit into the
patient’s electronic health record, and bills the patient’s insurance.
After the patient finishes their visit, the medical
assistant/phlebotomist cleans and sanitizes the instruments.
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