The Division of Family & Community Medicine (DFCM) is home to a range of specialties, including podiatry. Providers specializing in podiatry offer comprehensive care for patients with foot and ankle conditions.
To enhance healthcare access to all Utah communities, teams across University of Utah Health collaborated to introduce a TelePodiatry program for the Salt Lake City and Gunnison prisons.
The TelePodiatry program is part of a larger initiative to connect University of Utah Health providers with prison populations, greatly increasing the health outcomes of individuals incarcerated in Utah.
In September, the TelePodiatry program was successfully implemented with support from the division’s Strategic Projects and Virtual Care team.
“This is a great extension of our Telehealth prison programs,” said Susan Niles, Senior Virtual Care Operations Manager for the division. “Internal and external teams played vital roles throughout the entire process and demonstrated great teamwork which is essential when launching a new service.”
The program will call upon the podiatry expertise of the division’s providers. Ryan Rushton, MD, along with his fellow podiatry providers, will conduct monthly virtual clinics, ensuring patients in the program receive the same high-quality care they would receive in person.
Through virtual clinics like the TelePodiatry program, providers are able to offer timely interventions and follow-up care, improving patient outcomes.
With the support of University administrators and the dedicated care of clinicians like Dr. Rushton, the division foresees success for the TelePodiatry program in the coming years.
“We are excited to provide podiatry services at the prison,” said Niles. “We look forward to working with clinical teams to bring the highest level of care to all prison patients.”