Capacity is a top concern for most hospital and health system leaders given the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases, and many are turning to telehealth to expand capacity while keeping patients and clinicians safe.
To help providers leverage telehealth solutions, CMS has expanded reimbursement for telehealth and granted providers greater flexibility for connecting with patients, and many private payers have made similar moves to make virtual visits more accessible.
Here are three ways you can tap into telehealth today to prevent, triage and treat COVID-19 cases—and expand your system's capacity.
1. Shift existing appointments to telehealth visits when possible to proactively manage capacity.
Mine upcoming visits to identify patients with existing medical conditions who are particularly vulnerable to contracting COVID-19 and proactively suggest virtual care options. For patients with chronic illnesses, assess capacity to substitute in-person visits for remote patient monitoring.
Approach in action:
2. Stand up remote triage capabilities for patients who suspect they are ill—and direct everyone to virtual channels as a first stop.
Start with a phone triage line or chatbot as the first line of defense to assess patient risk. Then, direct patients who present with symptoms to a virtual visit for further consultation before scheduling an in-person visit. To streamline triage, develop standard guidelines for staff who are triaging patients via phone or chatbot to assess patient risk, recommend further care, or reassure "worried well" patients. Your guidelines should also communicate clear referral pathways to primary care and other low-acuity settings.
Approach in action:
3. Deploy remote monitoring capabilities to care for patients who have COVID-19 or COVID-like symptoms.
For patients who test positive for COVID-19 or exhibit symptoms resembling COVID-19, organizations should consider remote monitoring or consultations to reduce the chance that providers or other patients contract the disease. For patients who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 but do not require inpatient care, providers should monitor them remotely and recommend inpatient care only if symptoms escalate. When possible, use virtual visits for admitted patients to limit the number of people interacting with the patient.
Approach in action:
Together, these approaches help keep patients and providers safe—while maintaining your organization’s capacity to take on new cases as they arise. As you think about how to prepare your organization’s telehealth response, read on to see the three steps you can take to prepare.
You're no doubt being inundated with a ton of information on how to prepare for possible patients with the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19). To help you ensure the safety of your staff and patients, we pulled together the available resources on how to safely manage and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Create your free account to access 2 resources each month, including the latest research and webinars.
You have 2 free members-only resources remaining this month remaining this month.
1 free members-only resources remaining this month
1 free members-only resources remaining this month
You've reached your limit of free monthly insights
Never miss out on the latest innovative health care content tailored to you.
You've reached your limit of free monthly insights