Recently, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG) www.uspsoig.gov hosted a discussion forum to explore how organizations through partnerships with the Postal Service could provide cost-effective far-reaching wellness services to older Americans in every community across the nation.
The Postal Service is a partner in the Connect.Gov initiative, a federally funded program to create a secure data transfer platform across government agencies. Utilizing Connect.Gov could enable the Postal Service to provide a one-stop shop for identity management across the government through Connect.Gov. This in turn, could allow users to confirm the legitimacy of electronic health information that is received from external sources.
Agencies could then build upon the Connect.Gov platform to create shared telehealth services and establish standards to address patient records and communication interoperability among providers and the entire healthcare industry.
In addition, as discussed at the forum, it would be possible for older people to access the Internet at hotspots within post offices. Being able to use a reliable Wi-Fi connection or internet-connected computer at a post office could allow the internet-literate aging population to conference with doctors, access web portals, and send biometrics or x-rays from patient monitoring devices to providers.
It was also suggested at the forum that the Postal Service could generate additional revenue by renting underused retail space in post offices to wellness organizations that would provide for a physical presence in local communities nationwide without the added expense of additional overhead costs. The Postal Service would benefit from generating continuous income from increased foot traffic.
The Postal Service could also provide access to wellness programs by housing third party health kiosks for a rental fee from the provider. For example, La Poste, France’s postal operator is exploring this type of partnership with H4D, a telehealth solution provider.
The Postal Service has about 31,622 postal managed retail locations in urban and remote areas of the U.S giving the Postal Service a distinct advantage in hosting health kiosks nationwide. With more locations than Starbucks and Walmart locations combined, the Postal Service would be able to provide a place where all Americans could receive screenings.
It was also suggested that health kiosks in a post office as opposed to a retail location might create a better sense of authenticity because the post office would not benefit financially from the kiosk’s product suggestions.
Also, personal care items may require quick timely delivery to individuals or doctors’ offices, especially in the case of an injury or illness outbreak. Postal facilities could play a part by forward staging medical supplies in postal distribution centers which could enable medical supply retailers to quickly ship goods to individuals or care centers.
Forum participants also discussed the idea of using some of the space outside post office buildings to house mobile health units which would be very convenient for local residents. In order to make this work, the local AAA and postmaster would likely have to coordinate this effort.
As a result of the forum and discussion that took place, OIG published the issue brief “The Postal Services Role in Delivering Wellness Services and Supplies” on July 22, 2015. To view the issue brief, go to www.uspsoig.gov/document-library.