MSDH telehealth, a single specialist can reach patients across the entire state. We have 82 counties in the state and we can’ t hire 82 oncologists. It’ s not financially feasible. And if you’ re in the northern end of the state and we only have one oncologist, are you going to drive six hours to the southern end of the state for your appointment? No, you’ re not going to do that.”
The benefits of telehealth extend beyond mere convenience.“ It’ s particularly beneficial for routine check-ups where patients might otherwise skip an appointment,” Kane points out.“ We’ ve been running telehealth in earnest since late 2022 and we’ re already planning a second phase to expand its capabilities. It’ s a win-win for both the agency and the citizens.”
More than just spanning healthcare, Kane envisions a world where these citizen-centric support services would encompass all of the different state agencies in a seamless, Amazon-like experience.
“ As a citizen of Mississippi, it would be great if you could just open an app and say,‘ Okay, I need to pay my property taxes, pay my water bill, schedule my next appointment with my primary care physician and upload my child’ s vaccine card for school,’ all in one smooth, app-like environment,” he muses.
“ I often use Amazon as an example with my team. Amazon just works. You go there, find what you need, pay for it and it shows up. Easy. There’ s no training required – everyone’ s figured it out. Amazon is a very successful company,
118 April 2025