Dr. Waqas Ahmed MD FACP
Founder & CEO
American TelePhysicians
Jacksonville Florida USA
Email: wahmed@americantelephysicians.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/waqas-ahmed-md/
www.americantelephysicians.com
1-888-666-2042
Dr. Waqas Ahmed is a Nephrologist and an international speaker on digital health and telemedicine. He is also the founder and CEO of American TelePhysicians, a Florida-based and awards winning virtual healthcare company with operations in US and international markets. He has been named among the Top 20 CEOs of Telemedicine companies.
Dr. Ahmed has the honor of being invited by the United Nations to a high-level annual meeting on Universal Healthcare at UN Headquarters and by the World Bank/IFC as a think tank team member on digital healthcare initiatives. He has been a member of the advocacy committee for telemedicine legislation policies at US Capitol Hill. He has hosted multiple events at United Nations forums on Digital Healthcare & Telemedicine and participated as a consultant for WHO-UNICEF global report on Assistive technology.
Dr. Ahmed serves on the Board of Directors at University of North Florida’s Health Administration College as well as LSF Health Systems. He is a graduate of King Edward Medical University Pakistan and completed his Internal Medicine residency in Cincinnati, Ohio, followed by a Nephrology fellowship at Christiana Care Health System in Delaware. He practices Nephrology in Jacksonville Florida.
Pamela: Hi. This is Pamela Wirth with the Encourage Your Wellness podcast. And, today, I have doctor Ahmed. He's a nephrologist, international speaker on digital health and telemedicine. He's also the founder and CEO of American Telephysicians, a Florida based and award winning virtual health care company with operations in the US and international markets, been named one of the top 20 CEOs of telemedicine companies.
And there's so much more, doctor, here in your background, and I don't necessarily wanna read it all, but look forward to getting into all of it with you. Thank you for being here.
Dr. Ahmed: Likewise. Life is all mine. Thanks, Pamela. Thanks for the opportunity. Yeah.
Pamela: So, you know, you've been involved in a member of the advocacy committee for telemedicine legislation and policies on on Capitol Hill, multiple events at United Nations forums, and, consultant for WHO and UNICEF. Health care innovation is obviously top of mind for you. Tell us, you know, how you got into this, where you think health care is going, and what what really gets you excited.
Dr. Ahmed: Thank you, Long, long story, let's try will try to make it short. So, I am a nephrologist as a professional kidney specialist and a hypertension specialist. I'm based in Jacksonville, Florida. Moved to Jacksonville, Florida in 2014. Prior to that, I was in Cincinnati, Ohio, Delaware, and so on.And, my perspective for health care, obviously, when I got more exposure in the private care settings and, seeing start seeing patients, especially the chronic care management and, senior living facilities. And one of my also key motivation was, unfortunately, the, disease of my mother. She unfortunately passed, last year for for chronic liver disease. And, so I immigrated to this country, the US, from Pakistan, and I have lived in different parts of the world before moving here in the Middle East and New Zealand and England. So got some exposure of, health care system in different parts of the world.Of course, when, you know, you know, set settle here, then my parents, used to visit me, once a year or twice a year, and I, you know, used to go and see them. And so when my mother was diagnosed with this disease, like, sort of, how can I be kinda more involved practically as a caregiver, while I'm not with with them physically? And this was, I think, the 2015 or 2016, I started looking into telemedicine as one part of the approach. And, of course, this was way before COVID. And one of the challenge, which, as a physician, you see that, telemedicine was perceived as just an online consultation with doctor, which obviously improves the access issue, but for sure that, you know, rather than going to doctor's office, I'll but that is a very limited aspect because in order when it comes to a specialty care, as a specialist physician, and in order to give continuation of care, You want to have access to patient's medical record.
You want to have acts later on, you order, you know, blood work. You order, other imaging studies and all those things there. So, like, for example, if we are, sitting, obviously, in different parts of the country, so in order for me to manage you remotely, I need to have information about your health care as well as you also need to have information where if I need to order some other NC services, where to find that. So that I'd like to let the whole idea that it is not just an online consultation. It's essentially, complete ecosystem.
And I think that's, like, intrigued me. And I started was pretty intrigued by the concept of this startup, the and reading about, the you know, how technology shaped, some of the industries. You know, Jeff Bezos, for example, the ecommerce market, and then Uber has really revolutionized how one problem led to the company. So I started thinking more deep into, like, how to build this in an online health care ecosystem integrating care. And I think ever since, when you start seeing from that lens, you also start, you know, realizing more deep how the big, issues are in health care.
And a lot of time I talk is the US being such a advanced health care country or, you know, system, but it's not the most efficient system. We all know that because there's so much, the cost is much higher than the other countries and despite having all the resources. And the challenge has been that since the care is not integrated and so on there. So when you start seeing from that lens, and then on the other side, start seeing from the patient's lens as well as their family members, that led me to kind of start. So luckily, I was joined, you know, I joined hands.
So my other some other physician friends, I talked to them. I talked to my brother for establishing IT company and so on there. So we essentially evolved, as a company, which understands from the health care and specialty care, but then with a mission, how can we utilize technology to solve, I would say, 3 problems of health care? 3 is, access, affordability, and awareness patient education. So that's what he led me to kind of start, as I the first project we worked was to help my mother to, you know, online care platform.
By sitting in here, you could order services. Back home country in Pakistan. How can you get all the services? You could get the care at home. And seeing that service actually deliver was such a gratifying because this was, a start of one solution which can help millions of family members who are not necessarily living the you know, near with them, but they can actually, you know, utilize and unite by the technology, and you're bringing closing the gap.
And then, of course, COVID came, and then, you know, further, it became very telemedicine became, quite, you know, popular. Right before that, I think when I started presenting this also, I got the opportunity to present at the United Nations. We were invited by the United Nations for a digital health conference, present this idea of having an online health care campus. And we all see now universities have online campus. We have, is online.
But when it starts to health care, getting everything online, that's where the big gap is. So yeah. Last but I think the other piece which I I think was very important, when I experienced as a patient, myself, I got, you'll be maybe surprised, but I got, MRI of my back and, having I did have insurance. Never used it for the whole year, and then finally I used it. And then to my surprise, I saw the bill of $1800 for my MRI.
And I said, like, you know, I'm a physician, and I thought, like, I knew health care, and I called my insurance. And this, oh, you should have you know, now the because now the study was done, so you're you're liable for that. And then I started learning more about deductible and then, you know, the and then even you haven't met deductible, the price difference can be. So we have this platform. Then after that, we started working on this platform, CURA, c u r a for you.
Same MRI. We have over 900 radiology centers, and we build this for patients who don't have insurance or high deductible plans or no price trans you know, the surprise bill, just the price with the the services are listed with the price transparency. Same MRI starting for $300. So you can imagine, like, how people did I mean, it's such a such a system where you think you have insurance, then you will have less cost, but that is still not the case. And then even if you don't have insurance, even, you know, a deeper mess.
And then if you're dealing with a senior citizen coming to the, you know, the transport, logistic, and all seniors. So but every one problem is linked to other one. And this is where, you know, we started working on kind of model where how can we build an integrated platform where essentially, as a patient and caregiver, bringing their problems, solving their problems first. And then on the back end, we start solving the problem of the physicians and, you know, and and and those others. And I think, certainly looking forward.It's still a long journey, and but I think we're we have come way far where we started.
Dr. Ahmed: I absolutely love it. So I've had a couple of personal experiences in my life where it's it's been incredibly difficult. So the first one being my son. Around the age of 5a half, he started exhibiting strange voter mobile and mood problems, depressed, anxious.
They said he had Tourette's, OCD. And so it took about a half a dozen doctors later for someone to say, let's pull some blood work and find out what's going on inside. They wanted to give him medicine for the symptoms without kind of finding out why first. Right? So but all of that lab testing was so cost prohibitive.
I wasn't gonna say no, but I actually sold my car and bought a much cheaper car so I could pay for lab testing. Thankfully, fast forward many years later, you you can find these things. I don't know that we're necessarily aware of them as much as we could be or should be. I still think it's hard to find, where to find cost effective care. But, thankfully, the technology has caught up.
And, consequently and I love your, I'd love your platform because having to go through and fill out the paperwork every single time. And then with my mom, my mom, has had 90 days to live going on 6 years. She's doing great, with stage 4 cancer. But I've, you know, gone with her every single time to different, appointments, and it's the same paperwork over and over again, the same history. And, you know, it's it's all these, and then, you know, I I can't always be with her similar to you.
And so it's, having to manage these things, because she can't necessarily figure out how to manage, the online appointment. So I'm having to manage the online appointment and manage her and then, you know, obviously communicate with the practitioner that it's okay for me to be present. And so I love what you're doing, and I love, the access. And I think the affordably the affordability, I think, is is coming with the technology that that's been, you know, continuing to be enhanced. I think the awareness is still a challenge.
And so how are you helping practitioners, helping consumers? Like, how do we let people know where's a safe place to go? No. This isn't spam. You know, what's what's okay, and what's not?
I think that's, you know, really, really still a big challenge.
Dr. Ahmed: No. Thank thank you. First first of all, thanks for sharing your story, which is a very common, and I hope your son is doing better now. And, I do agree.
Pamela: He this great.
Dr. Ahmed: Good to hear that. This exactly I think that was what what the main challenge has been. You know, a lot of time, the, even you, the affordability and all the same there. And then we know there's such a big price difference when they you can and finding the right care at the right price, I think, is is the definitely, the fund is is needed.
And, now coming to your other question how to, you know, patients can find, I mean, this is very essentially important also for chronic care management, especially because the doc patients want to see same doctors and all syndicate because they know the history. Otherwise, if you keep switching and one of the challenge for the telemedicine visit, but initially, you go online, you see a one doctor, and then next time you come, you see another doctor and all syndicate. That may work for urgent care, like, you know, sore throat or one time fever. When it comes to chronic conditions, you obviously that is not how the care is, efficient care is delivered. So and that's where, I think, the first fundamental is to make sure that the you have access to the, you know, same physician for condition of care, and then then that physician also has access to all the data and everything.
Now in the how to find patient, like, they can find the reliable, I think the doctors and and being a physician, you can definitely say that I'm a little biased on that, but I think the universal truth is the health care is centered around that patient and physician relationship because I think that's the one trust that's where everything else kind of, you know, branches out. Yeah. And it's, what I also learned practically, you know, having a medical knowledge is great, but you also have to be compassionate because I think patients or the families, they listen more, and then they care if you are compassionate care. So I think that is the most important when we are seeking a physician who understand and listens to, their problem and then share. Of course, you know, the, and then further, is the the we expect the those physicians and caregiver providers that they are giving that advice, ethically because, obviously, they are always a business side of financial aspects.
And, unfortunately, we all have seen or witnessed some of these, horrific stories which we should they should have not been. You know, and but, but I think in the current world, and I think there most of the time, patients kind of, can relay that. They can sense that, you know, they, and this is where the quality checks matters. Good thing at least in the US, you know, all the companies who work with this today, you know, have verified information that licensed doctors and kind of, all the other service providers is kind of a channel. So, having a spam in health care, the the chances are less.
However, certainly, the big problem people end up having is what I call we move from a paper mask to digital mask because then there's so many, platform and all the same there. So but you can't expect patients to you know, I'm going, for migraine, I will go to another platform. I'm going there now for my blood pressure. I'm going to another platform, and, and then, you know, so on there. And then if they don't have this, so now you can imagine how much paperwork.
You're still digital, but you're still paper over there. So I think it's the government policy on the back end is very much important, and they are enforcing it. But I think there's still a lot of gaps and challenges and a lot of, you know, a lot of kind of, those unseen forces, I will always say. You know, sometimes they are delaying it. So once that happens, at the government level and the regulatory, I think that will be helpful.
I also see, some positive developments happening, but I think it still needs to be done. For example, in telemedicine cross border licensing issue is a big one. I don't think, there is a it's not about the physician shortage. It's a thing. It's the relative physician shortage.
There are certainly physician shortage in some areas, but it's so complicated because then if I you know, the same you you do as a physician, you are a board life board certified doctor across the US. But then in order to have a license, it's so much difficult to get a license. Like, though, luckily, now this, IMLC, which is interstate medical license compact, more states are adopting to it. It's making easier. So I think then that will also solve some of the problem of the taxes and the physician shortage.
Pamela: Well, I think that also applies to the physician assistants and the nurse practitioners. And, I mean, you know, just because you've got the doctor, the doctor also needs a lot of support. So there's a lot of other things that go into all of this. So in terms of next steps, tell us a little bit about, how people can find you, where people can really look out for cost effective and and better platforms.
Dr. Ahmed: Absolutely.
Thank you. So, so we, as a company, is American Telephysician, which is our corporate company, and we are a physician led what I call a physician led health care, incubator, where we partner with the, physician groups and health care service provider, and we have launched couple of, platforms for, some of them are disease specific and some are, like, general for patients who don't have, for example. So I think more important like the the one where patients who don't have insurance are, I mentioned there. So it's online view. It's called c u r a, cura, for you, letter you.
And they can go online. They can also download the app, and then it allows them to having access to one one app or one platform access to online doctors, and then then they'd also we have partnership with labs, Quest Diagnostics, and, like, 4,000 labs. We have over 900 radiology centers. We have a home imaging companies, and then we have launched some programs, sleep program and weight loss program and so on. There these, like, the things are a lot in the pipeline.
So they can find and then, you know, all that you have to do is, like, you know, we, find see the pricing and then you need it and then go from there. This platform is also helping, you know, small business employees because then a lot of time, you have 10 99 workers or part time workers. As a business owner, the biggest cost is the health care one of the biggest cost health care benefits. So it's typically part time at 10 99. They don't get any benefits, but I think this is an opportunity just for $9 a month.
It's a subscription which will gives you access to health care coach as well as them access to all the services. And then they can essentially, whenever they need it, they can use outpatient services. One of the big area, I think, is the focus on the wellness side, because, unfortunately, our care is current care model is more focused on hospitals. So focus because, you know, like, you get admitted to hospital, and then, there's, like, what I call, you know, chasing the tail, like, and then so the how to prevent that progression of disease, that's where, I think, where the initiatives are. Medicare does wants to, you know, promote that, but then so with our company, we have our build our technology, and now we also have AI built into this technology, which is, like, do the early risk assessment, and then the system will based on your current profile, what's your cardiac risk, what's your stroke risk, and so on there.
And then based on your risk assessment, customized care plans. This certainly help to, you know, early detection of the diseases. And then if they find it, then obviously slow pro it just slow down their progression and, you know, you're an early intervention. So one of the example is our neuro x project, which is we launch, for the to combat stroke and dementia care. And we recently won a contract by Medicare, for innovative guide program for dementia care and helping patients, to for early screening, and providing their care as well as resources for caregivers so these patients, can stay at home.
I mean, otherwise, you can imagine if you have a patient's, family member with dementia or, unfortunately, a family member who had a stroke and, you know, is not very active, it's it's certainly very debilitating condition and also very stressful to family. So with our new platform, we are helping families, for management of our early, dementia risk assessments as well as, patients, who had a stroke or at risk of stroke, see a neurologist or see a psychiatrist on mental health or something there. So the that's where we essentially are, you know, having, providing access to our senior citizens.
Pamela: And so, do you find that most of the people that are on the platform are of a certain age, or do you take care of people across the entire family age spectrum?
Dr. Ahmed: So, no.
Across the age spectrum, obviously, the big focus is on, since our big focus is on chronic care management, and we see that's, naturally, people, senior citizens are you know, if once you're above 40, on or senior, like, obviously, when you are that age where middle maybe and when you start having these problems, diabetes, hypertension, and so on there, then definitely that's where the it becomes. But, when I look at the company, the 2 verticals which we were very much focused, one was people who don't have access, like, self pay. So that is across the age spectrum. You may be, you know, you're a you you are a visitor. You have 1099.
You don't have insurance coverage for you or your your children or soldiers. We can provide we are you know, that platform provides the care. And second is, people who are senior citizens, living in senior living facilities at home because they are the often people who have multiple problems, and it's hard for them to go to the doctor's office, wait for so long, and, you know, then they typically, you can see that they require multiple consultations. And, what we, what we essentially building that with the technology I already talked about, the risk assessment, but I think the other part is after providing them consultation. Utilization of the remote patient monitoring, I think, is a big one.
Wearables technology, Fitbit, Apple Watch, and blood pressure devices. So it's all about, helping their, day to day, data for the clinical data and then providing that clinical data into to utilizing AI, helping physicians, and the care, providers so they can actually, adjust their medications. So imagine that the case scenario, I do hypertension clinic. So my patient, we get, you know, they wanna as a physician, so they get we get them this blood pressure devices at home. So they're taking the blood pressure readings, and the our nurse gets, you know, all these monitoring and their automated alerts.
And then based on their readings, their medication can be tested. You'll be surprised. Not only we have prevented a lot of hospitalization with that program because their blood pressure, let's say, you know, before it was too high or it's too low, but in reality, I've also taken more patients off the blood pressure medicine than put it in because what amount they were what was happening, they were coming to doctor's office, and they were anxious or something. So the previously, the seal was being made on, the, 1 or 2 blood pressure readings. But now you have more systematic data, and then you can also see, oh, you know, actually, that when they take medicine, their blood pressure goes down, and then how it would just match.
So you already call a personalized intervention. That's where I think, it's it's really changing, the, the dynamics and also improving the health care outcomes.
Pamela: Yeah. I love that. What about mental health?
Have you been able to find any practitioners that can help in that area too? I mean, that's such a large area in all facets of the family.
Dr. Ahmed: So we do have, under our neuroex, brain health vertical, we have launched a telepsychiatry service line of brain health. Our philosophy is the same. Start with the risk assessment.
So we, utilizing our tool, the questionnaires, which, the patients or their caregiver fill for them. And then, it essentially is, identify what's their risk for different depression, anxiety, PTSD, mood disorders, and so on. So before, consultation happens, that screening tool allows them, you know, to further triage. It also help lot of primary care physician or provider ultimately like, actually, to have, you know, a screen for those condition. Once you are screened and now you want, you know, moderate to high risk, then, obviously, we provide access to online psychiatrist.
And then the psychiatrist then will customize build a customized plan whether you need medication or you need a psychotherapy and some there. So you can see how, everything is, so this core principle of having this, approach of the identify the risk and then triage for, like, connecting with all my doctor and personal care plan is across the spectrum. Whichever disease you you talk about, I think that is, the future of health care delivery.
Pamela: Well and I I totally agree with you, and I I I love what you're doing. It's you know, it used to be that the body is the body, the brain is the brain, but there is so much that goes into your mental health that is relying upon some physical parts of you.And so by integrating all of that together, I think it's super important and can help too in terms of a preventative, when you get your hands around it at certain ages versus others. So I love that.
Dr. Ahmed: Definitely. I think that's a, a credit to, the whole team and the physicians and, you know, their partners who have joined us. And I think the, I always say, it's all about the united effort.
I mean, there's no single company how no matter how big, they are that have a, you know, solution. It's about partnering up for the to build this, ecosystem. So the right care at the right time at the right price can be given.
Pamela: Is there anything that I have forgotten to ask you about that you'd love to add? Or,
Dr. Ahmed: You know, the yeah.
No. I think that we covered pretty much, obviously, when we talk about, AI. I think that's one thing I always say now for my health care, fellow physicians and professionals. I think, the when I remember when the, the electronic medical record system were introduced, so the little there were quite a few resistance initially. But then we saw how, you know, it became, mandatory to have a data and all things there.
Now, obviously, this AI, they, you know, have, really, is shaking up the whole aspect. So health care will not be different. I certainly see that there needs to be more openness, but I also would love to see, health care providers, physicians, and other providers to not only adapt to technology, but I think they need to step up because they are the best architect. Because then they know how the workflows and processes work. And then they can partner with the the technology companies to build some of the solutions, which are essentially can be much friendly to use.
So this is, I think, the momentum, the mission, what we are seeing that, okay, this is how in the name of our telephysician. Like, okay, the physician led, technology. And, we have, you know, been building some amazing platform backed by a physician, whether it's a virtual, brain health. We recently entered 1 international contract for virtual kidney care, pro platform and so on there. And now we're working on a virtual oncology.
We also have a virtual oncology platform, and then, you know, there's there are some, amazing work being done inside. So I certainly see that, with this combining technology into the health care expertise, then sky becomes the limit, and then this really, will solve lot of patient's problem and also reduce the cost significantly.
Pamela: Yeah. Well, thank you so much. I love that.
So one last time, where where does where do people learn more about you and and find more research information, gain access?
Dr. Ahmed: Absolutely. So if you're a patient, so you can go to cura for you, cww.curaforu.com. This is for patients who don't have who wants to, like, book health care service with price transparency and so on there. So everything in one marketplace.And, they if you are looking for any brain health issues and so on there, so we have this neurox, mburox.usresearch neurox. And for our, health care as a corporate site, American Telephysician website gives you a lot of information about all of it. So, because we one of the, area we would love to kinda partner up with the health care, you know, providers, growth companies, and then also, having, an international operations also. Certainly, health care companies in the international market who are looking for innovative health care solutions and also access to specialist physicians, we would love to then explore the collaboration opportunities.
Pamela: Super.
Thank you so much, doctor. We really appreciate it.
Dr. Ahmed: Thank you so much. Thank you.