At Providence, virtual care plays a pivotal role in addressing workforce challenges while ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care. The Renton, Wash.-based health system has integrated virtual care into its acute care settings, enabling specialized Providence providers—including neurologists, psychiatrists, hospitalists and infectious disease specialists—to reach hospitalized patients across its network.
“Virtual care is a powerful mechanism to bring specialized expertise to any hospitalized patient in our service area when needed,” Sherene Schlegel, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer of virtual care and digital health at Providence, told Becker’s.
Over the past year, Providence has consolidated its acute virtual care services into a single, scalable platform designed to streamline care delivery. The platform includes a standards-based clinical quality program, a centralized “One-Call-for-All” support model, standardized exam hardware and software, and a telemedicine resource center that supports hospitals in adopting virtual care.
“By ensuring patients have access to the right specialists—regardless of hospital location—we are keeping them closer to home when possible, transferring them only when necessary, and improving the care experience for both patients and providers,” Ms. Schlegel said.
For Sanford Health, which serves a predominantly rural population, virtual care is not just a convenience—it is often the only option for patients who would otherwise face long travel distances to receive specialized treatment. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based health system recently opened a virtual care center to expand its digital health services.
“In an era when Amazon delivers packages to anyone’s doorstep no matter where they live, our patients expect the same from healthcare,” Dave Newman, MD, chief medical officer of virtual care at Sanford Health, told Becker’s. “For many of our patients, it’s not just about convenience. It’s virtual care or no care at all.”
Sanford Health now provides virtual care across 78 specialties, saving patients an average of 176 miles in round-trip travel. Two-thirds of patients who have used virtual care in the past year live at least 30 miles from a major medical center.
Looking ahead, Sanford is prioritizing direct-to-consumer virtual care offerings, particularly in behavioral health. The system recently launched a self-scheduling tool in its EHR, allowing patients to book virtual behavioral health appointments without a referral—a move aimed at improving access and reducing stigma.
“We are proud to be pioneering a new way forward—bringing care to our patients instead of expecting them to come to us,” Dr. Newman said.
As more health systems integrate virtual care into their operations, the technology is becoming a key strategy for expanding specialty access, improving patient outcomes and reducing the burden on healthcare workforces.
