Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine has implemented a virtual care initiative that removes after-hours call responsibilities for primary care providers.
As of January, 63 Penn Medicine practices across the Philadelphia area, Chester County and Central New Jersey have adopted the systemwide coverage model, which reroutes after-hours patient calls to Penn Medicine OnDemand — a 24/7 virtual care service, according to a Feb. 20 news release. The program replaces the traditional on-call model in which primary care physicians were required to respond to urgent patient needs outside of office hours.
Penn Medicine said it is the first provider in the region to roll out this type of after-hours structure across its primary care network.
Leaders said physicians previously received up to 20 calls over a weekend during flu season. The shift to OnDemand coverage has allowed physicians to reclaim personal time while preserving around-the-clock access for patients.
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