On May 6th at the ATA 2013 Conference held in Austin, Seattle-based Carena demonstrated how an integrated 24/7 virtual medicine service can help hospital systems and primary care clinics extend hours and access without adding staff or new facilities. The services provide routine and urgent care healthcare appointments by phone and webcam to patients in hospital systems and primary care clinics. Carena developed the service to help provider groups improve access, increase provider capacity in an increasingly competitive healthcare marketplace and serve the needs of a new breed of tech-savvy consumer healthcare shoppers.
“Virtual medicine is becoming mainstream,” said Ralph C. Derrickson, CEO of Carena. “Providing patient care via webcam and phone allows us to efficiently deliver high quality care on the patient’s terms.
The service is modeled after a successful pilot program between Carena and Franciscan Medical Clinic facilities in the Tacoma metro area. When a clinic is closed, patients are assisted by Carena’s 24/7 call center where they are given the option of having their health concerns addressed immediately via a phone of by a webcam virtual visit with a Carena physician or nurse practitioner.
“High quality after hours care is good for patients and providers,” said Cliff Robertson, Chief Operating Officer of Franciscan Health System. Our pilot initiative with Carena provides appropriate medical care to patients who don’t require a visit to the emergency room, but can’t wait until their doctor has office hours. With this service, we can provide needed and convenient care while reducing the after-hours burden on emergency rooms and urgent care facilities.”
After the patient’s visit, the patient is referred back to their primary care provider for follow-up. Chart notes are entered into the system and shared with primary care providers to ensure continuity of care and new patients are escalated to the appropriate clinic to expedite making an appointment with a physician.
“Ensuring a positive patient experience requires a turn-key solution including providers trained in telemedicine protocols supported by a robust technology platform,” reports Derrickson. “A pilot telemedicine program resulted in a large reduction in calls to on-call overnight staff at hospitals. Over time healthcare systems may transition to using their own providers, at which point we will be able to provide our technology and clinical platform solutions.”
For more information, go to www.carenamd.com or call (206) 624-6050.