Today we’d like to introduce you to Nichole Greene LeBoyd and Tranese Greene Cook.
Hi Nichole and Tranese, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
We are identical twins who knew from the age of five that we wanted to be medical doctors. We recognized at a young age while living in Clayton County, Georgia that we had never seen a black female physician and with the support of outstanding parents, began to become involved in programs geared towards medicine. We went on to attend college at Xavier University in New Orleans for our premed degrees and subsequently attended Morehouse School of Medicine to obtain our M.D. degrees in 2002. Since then, we both have worked in various capacities including primary care, academic medicine, independent medical examiners for multiple companies including telemedicine companies, work with Veterans, and experts for attorney firms in the state of GA. During the pandemic, we provided telemedicine with various companies but noted that we rarely saw African American patients. This caused us to have a burden in that we recognized that there was great underutilization of telemedicine and feared that the health disparities that already exist in the African American community would likely worsen. The healthcare industry is evolving and our mission is to help our community not get left behind. In 2022, we started Telemedicine For Us to increase access to medical care for our community. We recognize that there are several health problems that can be addressed virtually and aim to provide compassionate, competent, affordable, convenient and relatable care to anyone in need. We also specifically aim to improve health outcomes for African Americans who often are faced with a barrier of lack of access to care.
According to an article published in US News in 10/2022 (https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-10-13/women-older-adults-more-likely-to-use-telemedicine-in-2021) blacks and Hispanics had significantly lower utilization of telemedicine compared to whites and Asians. The other major issue cited by this article was great underutilization by those below or near the poverty line. This is particularly relevant since Atlanta Medical Center, a metro Atlanta level 1 trauma center closed its’ doors leaving a gaping hole in the provision of healthcare for minority patients in Atlanta. We aim to help to fill this gap as there are several urgent care needs that can be handled virtually rather than via emergency room visits. Many lower-income patients have been disregarded in this current system as they may not be able to afford to pay the going baseline rate for an in-person urgent care visit but had previously used the emergency room to manage some non-emergent conditions since they would be billed later for the cost of the visit. We set our fees at a flat rate of $75 for all visits which is far less than most in-person urgent care visits which typically start at $100-200, even with insurance. Emergency Room visits are far more expensive and on average at a minimum cost $1000-1200.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road has been challenging at times. Medicine has evolved tremendously since we began this journey in the 90s. We had to evolve from handwritten, disjointed medical records to electronic medical records. While the transition was tough, it was necessary and certainly better for the patients and the health system. We found it very difficult to see so many issues plaguing our community and simply wanted to help. We were prayerful and took almost 2 years to organize the business, take classes at the Small Business Development Center through Clayton State College and UGA, research electronic medical record software and even had to change companies this year for a better fit for us. We had to come out of our comfort zones to work as entrepreneurs to promote the business, speak at events, and get the word out. Additionally, we were concerned because we wanted to be clear that we are here to care for anyone in need. However, we found that we needed to be intentional in our marketing to specifically reach the community that is in greatest need.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Dr. Nichole Greene LeBoyd and Dr. Tranese Greene Cook both completed medical school here in Atlanta at Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Greene LeBoyd completed residency at Morehouse Family Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Greene Cook completed residency at Atlanta Medical Center in Internal Medicine. We are proud of the fact that we received a resolution from the State of Georgia acknowledging that we were the first female twins to graduate from medical school in Georgia’s history. Dr. Greene LeBoyd went on to work for 6 years as an Assistant Professor at Morehouse Family Medicine in East Point, GA serving the underserved community. Dr. Greene Cook worked for over 6 years in Southwest Atlanta in primary care.
In 2011, we began work as Independent contractors with multiple companies. One of the contracts was with a company that performed independent medical examinations for veterans seeking disability. Veterans endure so many trials that laypersons are not aware of that affect their health. Our initial goal was always to show kindness and respect coming in the door to each Veteran, along with working hard to perform thorough exams and record reviews. Telemedicine is interesting because many people have expressed how it can be more intrusive than an office visit because it is like the doctor being invited in your home. In the same vein, our goal is to show kindness, respect and compassion just as if we are entering your home through your front door.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
We both turned down an offer for a full scholarship to medical school in another state because we wanted to train and serve in our community at Grady Hospital.
Pricing:
- Flat Fee of $75 for all televisits
Contact Info:
- Website: www.telemedicineforus.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/telemedicineforus/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TelemedicineForUS/
Image Credits
JSCreative Group
