Penn Medicine in Philadelphia is capitalizing on the growing telemedicine trend. Its new Center for Connected Care is the system’s latest effort to advance virtual care.
The facility, which is housed at Penn Medicine Rittenhouse, brings together the health system’s telehealth-related activities and includes 50 full-time employees. Penn Medicine says it’s the “largest health center in the region and one of the largest telehealth hubs in the country,” according to a news release.
Penn is hardly a newcomer to the world of telemedicine. Its Penn E-lert ICU, which is part of the Center for Connected Care, is nearly 15 years old. The tele-ICU caters to critically ill, chronically ill and pregnant patients. More specifically, it uses two-way video and audio technology to observe at-risk patients and inform providers when assistance is necessary.
The Center for Connected Care includes the Home Telehealth program as well. Every month, it provides remote monitoring to over 160 patients after hospitalization in an effort to reduce readmissions. Additionally, the new center’s FirstCall program gives Penn Medicine employees access to on-demand urgent care.
The Philadelphia health system offers telemedicine services in a variety of other specialty areas, including dermatology, sleep medicine, ophthalmology, radiology and transplant services.
“Our telehealth services make it easy for patients to get the care they need where they need it,” Penn Medicine CMIO C. William Hanson III said in a statement. “Telemedicine is also an important part of our health system’s strategic growth, connecting clinicians in different hospitals and ranging from real-time care of our critically ill patients to the expansion of our home care services for patients at increased risk of being readmitted to the hospital after they go home.”
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
The Center for Connected Care amps up interest in the field of virtual medicine. But individuals should be wary of overhyping telemedicine, particularly when it comes to utilization rates.
A 2017 report sponsored by Avizia found 82 percent of surveyed consumers indicated they do not use telehealth. The hesitance to utilize the technology stems from a variety of reasons. Two-thirds of the patient respondents said they don’t know if telemedicine is covered by their insurance. Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they would find a video less comfortable than an in-person visit with their physician.
A separate survey from Sage Growth Partners found 44 percent of healthcare executives have not yet adopted telemedicine at their organization. But it seems leaders are showing more of an interest in the technology. Of the group that hasn’t implemented telehealth, 86 percent said doing so is a medium to high priority.
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