A Facebook-like feed in an emergency department? Denver, Colorado-based UCHealth put one to the test by utilizing CareLoop’s technology.
In December 2016 and January 2017, University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora piloted CareLoop’s social feed in its emergency department. And it turned out that 96 percent of patients who tried it enjoyed the experience.
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Based in Boulder, Colorado, CareLoop uses a social network platform to ensure patients have a way to connect with their physicians. Through its technology, patients receive care-related messages and updates on their mobile device. CareLoop’s technology also allows physicians in different specialties to communicate with each other about certain patients.
“[CareLoop is] like a filterable feed for your health,” CareLoop Cofounder Andrew Strom told MedCity in a phone interview. “Doctors and care team members can communicate directly with patients, and patients get notifications on their phone.” Patients using CareLoop can also invite their loved ones to participate in the process, thereby ensuring they remain in the loop about the care, Strom said.
Strom also touted CareLoop’s benefits for providers. “It’s good for providers so they can have more touch points for their patients,” he said. “When they do visit their patients, they’re more informed.”
The CareLoop pilot at UCHealth lasted several weeks. “We basically followed patients through their stay at University of Colorado Hospital,” Dr. Foster Goss, CareLoop founder and an emergency medicine physician at University of Colorado Hospital, told MedCity via phone.
The response from patients was fairly positive. Ninety percent said they felt their care team was more responsive to their needs, and 86 percent think CareLoop improved overall patient-provider communication. Another 96 percent of pilot participants would like to receive reminders from their providers going forward.
“Patients overwhelmingly enjoyed receiving these updates,” Goss said. “The patient was already informed of what was happening next.”
The experience was positive for participating providers, too. “For the providers, they were able to claim more touch points,” Goss said. “We had probably five to 10 more touch points for each patient while they were being hospitalized.”
Because CareLoop allows providers to connect with each other, it also helps break down the silos in the healthcare environment. “We understand that care is very fragmented. We’re trying to bridge that fragmentation,” said Goss. “We help them all be in the loop about what’s happening with the patient’s care.”
Looking ahead, CareLoop hopes to pilot the platform, which is EHR-agnostic, in a variety of other care settings, such as long-term care facilities.
Correction: This article previously claimed Strom said CareLoop was a “Facebook-like feed” instead of a “filterable feed.”
Photo: anilakkus, Getty Images
