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During a particularly busy work week, Bill Ray started feeling a cold coming on. He knew the inconvenience the worsening symptoms would bring, problems he said he didn’t have time to deal with during such a hectic schedule. Around the same time the cold started taking hold, Ray was giving a speech at the Mississippi Telehealth Association’s conference in downtown Jackson. There to tout a virtual health-care delivery program, one his own company had recently joined, Ray had joked with the crowd about needing to “visit” the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Center for Telehealth clinic. He went online from work shortly thereafter and had a consultation with a health-care provider. A few days later, a noticeably improved Ray, the president and CEO of BankPlus, was demonstrating the effectiveness of the telehealth system to Gov. Phil Bryant – all from a computer set up in his company’s HR offices in Ridgeland. BankPlus, the largest Mississippi company to sign on with UMMC’s Corporate Telehealth program, has made the program available to all 725 employees at 60 of the company’s locations. By the fourth week in operation, the program has already treated nearly 50 patients – including its CEO. “We did this to save our employees and company money,” said Ray, who said his company offers its employees access to the telehealth services for free. “There’s no co-pay, no cost to the employees.” And the cost savings come in from the company by reducing the amount of time employees may be absent while waiting at a doctor’s office for a consultation.
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