Northwell Health’s ER on Demand program enables people in New York to check in with an emergency medicine physician in the middle of the night.
The new program provides easy access to a certified paramedic who determines the level of care that is needed. Within an hour or less the patient is connected to an emergency medicine physician via video chat on a smartphone, tablet, of computer. If necessary, the doctor will advise the patient to go to the nearest ED and help arrange an ambulance.
If the patient goes to a Northwell ED, the doctor will call ahead to alert the ED staff. In other cases, the telehealth physician will evaluate the caller’s symptoms and advise next steps, such as a follow-up visit with a primary care doctor or specialist, and/or lab tests or imaging
The telehealth doctor can also write a prescription for medication and may be able to arrange for home delivery. A telehealth team member will call the patient the next day to conform that their condition is improving and answer questions.
“A unique aspect of Northwell’s virtual emergency service is that patients always speak with a board certified emergency medicine physician, not a general practitioner or internist,” said Jonathan Berkowitz MD, Medical Director of Emergency Medical Services at Northwell Health.
Dr. Berkowitz reports, “The virtual visit is designed to be affordable as well as convenient. Patients are charged for an outpatient ambulatory visit, which is typically a third to a fifth as much as for an ED visit. Copays are significantly less as well.”
If the patient is directed to an ED and seen at a Northwell facility, the charge for the virtual visit is waived. The new service is available throughout New York State and can be accessed by phone or by opening the Northwell Health app and scheduling through the ER on Demand tile. Since patients have used the new program, they often have more face time with physicians than if they showed up in person in the ED.
Go to https://northwell.edu/news/insights/how-a-telehealth-visit-can-improve-emergency-care-overnight for more information.