OnMed: Our Mission-Driven Partners in Health
By: Mikailie Caulder

In rural communities, access to quality healthcare remains a significant challenge, often due to a shortage of healthcare providers and limited infrastructure. OnMed, a company dedicated to solving these issues, has partnered with Auburn University to introduce innovative healthcare solutions, including the installation of five OnMed Care Stations across rural Alabama. These stations bring together the benefits of telemedicine with in-person medical care, creating a hybrid model that is especially impactful in underserved areas.

“The collaboration between OnMed and Auburn University began when Dr. Royrickers Cook was approached by AU alumni with a new technology to increase healthcare access,” explains Hollie Cost, Assistant Vice President for University Outreach and Public Service. “This partnership was inspired by a shared commitment to improving healthcare access in some of our most underserved areas.”

At its core, OnMed’s mission is driven by a simple yet powerful idea, “Everyday healthcare, everywhere.” This vision underscores the belief that access to quality healthcare should be universal regardless of geographic location or socioeconomic status. For rural areas, where physician shortages and hospital closures are widespread, OnMed’s hybrid care stations represent a lifeline. “We face several challenges in the healthcare landscape today,” says Howard Gruverman, OnMed’s President and Chief Control Officer. “Rural communities are hit the hardest by the lack of access to physicians and the alarming rate of hospital closures. Technology alone isn’t enough to solve these problems. We need to combine innovation with human-led care to create meaningful, lasting change.”

OnMed Care Stations are designed to do just that by merging the convenience of telemedicine with the diagnostic capabilities of an in-person doctor’s office. This hybrid model brings primary and urgent care to areas where services were previously inaccessible. “Our goal is simple: to provide healthcare wherever people work, stay, or play,” Gruverman emphasizes. For OnMed’s CEO, Karthik Ganesh, the mission is deeply personal. “Healthcare access should be a fundamental right of every American,” he says. “What makes OnMed so powerful is that it humanizes technology. By combining cutting-edge innovation with the human touch, we’ve created a transformative solution that redefines what accessible healthcare looks like.”

The OnMed team brings passion and purpose to this mission. “I joined OnMed because I’ve seen firsthand the struggles of getting healthcare to those who need it most,” shares Caroline Linnane, Director of Customer Success. “incredibly rewarding to be part of a solution that is genuinely changing lives.” This commitment is reflected in the impact of OnMed Care Stations, which are transforming healthcare delivery in communities like LaFayette, Alabama. “When you look at LaFayette, 45% of the community has used the Care Station, and more than 35% have come back for follow-up visits,” Ganesh notes. “It’s become their medical home, proof that our approach is not only innovative but truly effective.”

The Care Stations provide patients with the same services they would expect in a traditional doctor’s office, including vital checks, diagnostic tools, and access to healthcare professionals, all through a telemedicine interface. “What makes our model so special is the integration of technology with the human touch,” says Gruverman. “Telemedicine is a start, but you need more than that to provide meaningful care. Our stations are an answer to that.” By combining telemedicine with essential healthcare services, OnMed is breaking down barriers that have long affected underserved populations.

Another key advantage of OnMed’s approach is the collection and analysis of health data. By tracking patient visits and health trends, OnMed can tailor its services to meet the needs of each specific community. This data also provides valuable insights into the healthcare disparities faced by rural populations, further informing the Rural Health Initiative to extend its reach. “The data we collect is essential to understanding the gaps in healthcare access,” says Gruverman. “But more importantly, it helps us improve the service we offer, making healthcare more personalized and effective.”

The partnership between OnMed and Auburn University exemplifies collaboration at its best, leveraging innovative technology to tackle longstanding healthcare challenges in rural Alabama. Through Auburn’s Rural Health Initiative, OnMed has made healthcare accessible in communities where adequate services were once out of reach. Cost explains, “The partnership with OnMed has been instrumental in advancing the goals of the Rural Health Initiative. We’ve increased healthcare access for over 75,000 residents throughout five counties in the state. By leveraging OnMed’s telehealth technology, we’re able to provide affordable, private, and efficient healthcare to communities that need it most.”

The success of the LaFayette Care Station serves as a blueprint for expanding care across the state. With its ability to provide consistent, reliable medical care, the LaFayette station quickly became a trusted medical home for the community. Recognizing its transformative impact, the Rural Health Initiative identified OnMed Care Stations as a scalable solution for addressing healthcare disparities in Alabama’s Black Belt region. “The success of the LaFayette Care Station shows what’s possible when we invest in innovative solutions and empower communities to take charge of their health,” Cost notes.

Now, five OnMed Care Stations will be operational in rural Alabama, creating a healthcare network that is changing lives in underserved communities. These docs in a box are becoming the cornerstone of health in each location, serving as accessible, dependable resources for primary, urgent, and post-acute care. This partnership between OnMed and Auburn goes beyond innovation, it is about equity, making healthcare attainable for the communities that need it most. Together, they are reimagining what rural healthcare can look like and proving that meaningful change is possible when vision meets collaboration. “This is about building a sustainable model of care that can serve as a blueprint for other underserved areas across the nation,” says Cost.

With 20 stations expected by the end of the year and 200 by the end of next year, OnMed aims to scale its operations across the country, ensuring that underserved communities can access essential healthcare. Looking ahead, both OnMed and Auburn University are committed to expanding their partnership, with plans to grow the number of Care Stations in Alabama and beyond. “I’d love to see OnMed and Auburn University plaster the state with Care Stations,” says Ganesh. “By doing so, Alabama could become a national model for healthcare access and public health infrastructure. Through our partnership with Auburn University, we’re proving what’s possible when technology, community engagement, and purpose come together.”

The partnership between OnMed and Auburn University represents a forward-thinking approach to addressing healthcare disparities in rural Alabama. By combining innovative technology with human care and leveraging local expertise, they are not just providing healthcare, they are transforming how healthcare is delivered in underserved communities. The LaFayette success story is only the beginning, and as the partnership grows, so will its impact on the health and well-being of countless individuals across the state.