COM Outlook Winter 2021

50 | DR. KIRAN C. PATEL COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE ALUMNI Spotlight ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT KK Pandya, D.O., M.S., a 2012 Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine alumnus who earned both his D.O. and Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics degrees from NSU, had been planning to open a brick-and-mortar practice in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Thanks to his biomedical informatics training, however, Pandya was able to pivot and establish a new telemedicine endeavor in the fall of 2020. The twist? His new company called Stay at Home Docs serves physicians looking to add a telemedicine component to their practices. New Physician-Patient Paradigm Pandya, who specializes in family medicine and neuromuscular medicine, had been operating his own private telemedicine practice since early 2019. “I was able to adapt my practice to the challenges of 2020 while continuing my ongoing patient relationships and adding new patients,” he explained. “This also allowed me to continue to see patients who have complex medical and psychosocial needs during an unpredictable year.” This necessary transition also seeded the idea for Pandya to assist other physicians by establishing Stay at Home Docs. “Over the course of the pandemic, technology has been integral in the medical response, as well as the continuity, of ongoing needs of patients and communities,” Pandya said. According to Pandya, Stay at Home Docs will provide a complement of technical solutions that are integrated with an electronic health records system that is custom implemented for physicians entering telemedicine. “My intention is to enable individual physicians to ‘hang their shingle’ online with a tele- medicine practice. The confluence of technology, societal norms, and necessity has made this possible for entrepreneurial physicians who want to maintain a direct relationship with their patients,” he explained. “The goal is to help entrepreneurial physicians/ clients establish their own private telemedicine practice, either part time or full time, which they can open rapidly and operate for years to come,” added Pandya, who was able to launch his own online practice because of his extensive background in information technology and implementing HIPAA-compliant online solutions for treatment and billing. “Operating my own medical practice has allowed me to establish this new consult- ing venture, and I expect to continue with both companies in the future.” o TECHNOLOGY DOC EMBRACES ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITIES COVID-19 DETOUR BY SCOTT COLTON, B.A., APR