Dermatology clinic chain claims it can cut waiting lists and emissions

A recently founded chain of dermatology clinics has claimed its systems cut healthcare waiting lists and greenhouse gas emissions.
Allview Healthcare, set up by businessman Eoin O’Reilly and dermatologist Dr Rupert Barry, is eyeing opportunities in the UK and other healthcare areas after growing to nine clinics in the Republic since it started treating patients in 2020.
Mr O’Reilly told The Irish Times that the VHI and Health Service Executive (HSE)-endorsed business has found a way of cutting waiting times for dermatology patients.
Meanwhile, a study by Maynooth University shows the firm’s approach reduced greenhouse emissions by eliminating the need for many clients to travel long distances, according to Mr O’Reilly.
Allview uses teledermatology. Rather than waiting to see a consultant in a hospital, patients go to its clinic where a nurse takes detailed high-resolution images of their complaint as well as a medical history.
They pass this information on to consultants who assess it, diagnose the problem and recommend treatment or management.
“About half our patients go on to surgery,” said Mr O’Reilly. The rest have their conditions managed with the aid of GPs. Those who do need surgery get it at Allview clinics within two weeks of diagnosis.
Mr O’Reilly pointed out that private patients can wait up to a year to see a dermatologist while those in the public system face delays of two to three years.
He noted there are 60,000 such patients on the HSE waiting list. Allview handles 3,000 to 4,000 a year for the State service but could take up to 20,000, according to its chief executive.
It is also an exclusive provider for health insurer VHI. Both organisations completed comprehensive due diligence before using Allview’s services.
Mr O’Reilly said the system saves healthcare services and insurers time and money, and potentially lives.
He explained that a small number of people have melanomas – skin cancer – where early detection and treatment is vital to tackling an ultimately fatal condition.
Treating it early costs a “few thousand euro” against €122,000 in its later stages, Mr O’Reilly said.
The company has treated 25,000 patients. After it reached 18,000 a study by Maynooth University found that over two years it had saved more than 236 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by cutting patients’ need to travel.
Allview has invested €7 million in its business do date and now employs 65 people. Mr O’Reilly, a technology specialist who began his career with Denis O’Brien’s Esat, got the idea after he had to wait several months to get a benign condition treated by Dr Barry, who he knew.
The company is considering expanding into Northern Ireland and Britain and could look at branching into ophthalmology in the Republic.