University Hospitals Chooses Visuwell as New Telehealth Provider
Platform will launch this summer streamlining virtual visits for patients and caregivers
The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for virtual medical appointments and, moving forward, telehealth will continue to hold a crucial role in patient care. In order to better serve patients through access and convenience, University Hospitals (UH) has chosen Visuwell as its new principal telehealth vendor. Visuwell, based in Nashville, Tenn., is a leader in enterprise virtual care delivery which enables health systems and provider groups to improve outcomes and decrease the total cost of care while meeting consumer demand.
The impact of telehealth became apparent during the extraordinary challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic. UH pivoted to meet the needs of patients, expanding telehealth visits from approximately 11,000 encounters in 2019 to more than 400,000 in 2020. This extreme increase in services called for a new solution to improve the virtual visit experience for both patients and caregivers
As a secure, browser-based platform, Visuwell streamlines multiple aspects of telehealth visits, making the process easier and more efficient for everyone involved. Visuwell provides a complete patient experience, including HIPAA-compliant video conferencing, a virtual waiting room, screen sharing, and multi-party visits. It integrates with UH’s scheduling and electronic medical record systems, avoiding duplicate administrative efforts. In order to increase convenience, patients do not need to download an app or create an account. To join the telehealth appointment patients simply click on a link provided to them via text, email, or by phone.
“Telehealth is the future of medicine, but it also presents unique challenges,” said Stacy M. Porter, MBA, FACHE, vice president, Pediatrics, Women’s Health and Consumer Centric Strategy at University Hospitals. “Visuwell was evaluated and recommended by caregivers in departments across our health system. It provides key features and functionalities that meet UH’s standard of providing the highest quality care for patients.”
“UH is working hard to increase healthcare access without sacrificing convenience or quality of care,” said Visuwell chief executive officer, Sam Johnson. “At Visuwell, we partner with organizations to develop tailored virtual care strategies including telemedicine solutions to address healthcare’s biggest challenges, while providing them with a robust feature set and configurable options to help them successfully deliver virtual care for their patients. We are excited to work with an innovative organization like UH to expand their virtual care footprint and transform the telemedicine experience for providers and patients.”
UH plans to launch Visuwell with close to 100 providers in June with a goal of on-boarding all providers by the early fall. The COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the adoption of this approach, but UH expects patients to enjoy the usefulness and convenience of virtual visits using Visuwell far into the future.