In setting up a retail telemedicine operation, Saint Alphonsus Health System in Boise, Idaho, a four-hospital affiliate of national Catholic healthcare organization Trinity Health, made sure the technology was tied to the EHR, in the name of care continuity.
“A lot of work was done to integrate our platform with our electronic health record system,” said Tiffany Whitmore, who, in her role as assistant vice president for system strategy and development, runs telemedicine for Saint Alphonsus.
Physicians treating remote patients have access to each patient’s existing record, including medical history. They document each encounter in the NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EHR, according to Mark Wennstrom, regional CIO for Saint Alphonsus and Trinity Health. If the patient’s primary care physician is not on the Saint Alphonsus system, summaries can automatically be reported out to that doctor.
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“Patients are able to get their care plans back though the same platform” said Whitmore.
Saint Alphonsus worked with Livonia, Michigan-based Trinity Health to develop the telemedicine platform in-house. The telemedicine effort, called MyeVisit, started last month as a pilot for Saint Alphonsus employees and their dependents on the organization’s health plan.
“The initial feedback has been very positive from patients and providers,” Whitmore said. “We are looking to expand it next year to a broader population.”
Initially, physicians will diagnose and treat 10 specific conditions via MyeVisit, CIO Wennstrom said: conjunctivitis, sinusitis, sinus infections, urinary-tract infections, ringworm, shingles, sunburn, rash from poison ivy, impetigo and cold sores. There are plans to grow in that area as well.
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“We’re always open to adding conditions while also being mindful of what is appropriate,” Whitmore said. The hope is to expand access to care while easing the burden on the emergency department, urgent care and some medical specialties.
During the pilot, Saint Alphonsus is charging a $45 flat fee to its beneficiaries, less than a typical office visit, though higher than many insurance co-pays. “We’re evaluating what the price will be long-term,” Whitmore said.
Saint Alphonsus has been employing telemedicine ever since it received a grant from the U.S. Army’s Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center in 2007 to bring nursing education to rural communities in Idaho. MyeVisit is the health system’s first foray into consumer-facing telemedicine.
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