Dallas County recently surpassed 70,000 total COVID-19 cases, and positivity rates are still hovering around 13 percent, higher than the 10 percent experts say indicates that the virus is under control. Increased testing is necessary to bring down the rate of positive cases, as it helps identify problem areas and hot spots.
With some testing sites still experiencing long lines in DFW, an app that first launched in DFW in 2016 has expanded its platform to help individuals find testing locations and bring price transparency to the process. The application is called Solv, which was initially designed to locate and identify wait times at urgent care facilities, has expanded its model to COVID-19 and antibody testing. In a partnership with CityDoc, Primacare, and UC4K in DFW, the app can help patients locate testing centers, input insurance information, see testing prices, and book appointments. There are 39 DFW locations online with the app, with 1,400 tests available per day at those locations.
The platform can book and facilitate telemedicine visits with urgent care centers. With 9,000 total visits on the platform in 2019, there were 500,000 visits between March and June, representing 15-20 percent of total appointments.
“It is just a few taps to get in front of a provider allowing patients to book and access a telemedicine visit from their phone,” says Heather Fernandez, Solv CEO. “And it is not a telehealth provider in the sky, but is associated with a facility nearby.”
The software allows clinics to book appointments, see patients virtually, handle payment, check insurance, and organize workflow. As rapid testing becomes available, employers will look for ways for their employees to be quickly and frequently tested. Human resources departments have reached out to SOLV to educate employees on how to find quick and accurate testing.
Looking ahead, Fernandez is excited about how the technology will be used to find and book regular flu shots and eventual COVID-19 vaccine appointments.”The infrastructure set up to enable to allow distribution of that, which is absolutely how we think about it,” she says. “The pandemic has pulled the future forward. All the things we knew would happen are happening, just at a faster pace.”
