“These specialties had major staffing shortages — not just at UnityPoint Health but nationwide,” Stephanie Johnson, MHA, executive director of system virtual care for UnityPoint Health, told Becker’s. “There simply aren’t enough psychiatrists and neurologists to meet demand.”
So the system launched a virtual program that brought care to the patient on demand. The program provides the emergency department with virtual neurologists at three hospitals and psychiatrists at seven hospitals. Currently, the system averages over 400 behavioral health consults and more than 130 neurology consults per month.
“Timely intervention is critical for quality care, and having on-demand access to a provider has been extremely beneficial,” Ms. Johnson said. “We just don’t have the in-house capacity to handle that workload alone.”
UnityPoint Health built and managed its own virtual carts internally, which are used to bring virtual care to patients. Leaders are currently working to create dual-purpose carts that are outfitted with necessities for both nurses and physicians, as well as virtual clinical care. Ms. Johnson also said the system is running a pilot at one hospital that integrates in-room smart TVs with Epic that would allow provider teams to use those screens, rather than the carts.
One of the benefits of virtual specialty care is quick turnaround times, even among high volumes. The system has also reduced contract labor costs and found it easier to recruit physicians to the role.
“Removing geographic barriers allows us to recruit from a nationwide talent pool, which has been a huge advantage, particularly for rural locations that are difficult to staff,” she said.
All virtual staff go through training for “website manner,” which helps the providers create that human connection with patients through the screen. This has helped improve patient experience for virtual care.
With the successes thus far, UnityPoint is exploring more ways to tap into virtual care. It is launching a virtual endocrinology practice that will deploy providers at the system level. It is also exploring virtual services to help with patient transportation in rural areas. Lastly, the system is also trying to expand neurology to the inpatient and outpatient follow-up care services.
