INNOVATIVE HEALTHCARE

Pandemic forces changes in the way medical care is provided

Pandemic forces changes in the way medical care is provided

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC has affected many industries, but none has been impacted as much as the healthcare industry. Not only have health workers and facilities been on the frontlines of the crisis, the industry has been forced to make changes and adjust to a “new normal.”

Local health officials report that the pandemic has led to a new way of doing things. For example, having providers see patients through the use of telemedicine and offering drive-thru testing for the new coronavirus.

Even before COVID-19, Yuma Regional Medical Center has always stayed at the top of innovations, but the pandemic forced YRMC to innovate fast.

“When COVID-19 hit, it showed how fast we can innovate because we had to come up with good ideas even faster and implement them even faster,” said Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO and president of YRMC.

YRMC providers have conducted more than 9,000 telemedicine visits with patients “who would have been waiting to see their physicians and now they don’t have to,” Trenschel said.

The technology has always been there, and occasionally used, but the pandemic has pushed it to the forefront and its use has become a daily occurrence.

Sunset Health also turned to telehealth, the term used by this organization, as a way to continue providing healthcare for some patients. Dr. Ching Wang, chief medical officer at Sunset Health, explained that fear, social distancing and the previous stay-at-home order due to COVID19 caused a significant decrease in accessing the usual methods of health care.

“Patients and providers have been postponing usual healthcare delivery if possible to prevent exposure and only addressing the urgent, emergent or extremely needed care,” Wang said.

The alternative was to deliver healthcare through more use of telehealth, which includes telephone and video-conferencing consultations. Wang explained how telehealth works: A link is usually sent to the patient with a time frame to join the “meeting,” which is the visit with the provider. Cellphones or computers with internet connections are needed. Unfortunately, as Wang noted, it can’t be used on landlines.

The pandemic has also meant restructuring of face-to-face appointment schedules to avoid exposure of sick patients with stable and healthy people in the offices, Wang noted.

Innovations have included drive-thru testing and immunizations and mailing or emailing documents, such as lab test slips, medical records releases, and consents, among others.

“More technology has been used than ever,” Wang added.

It’s also led to unexpected expenses for healthcare orga- nizations. Facilities that weren’t set up for telehealth func- tions had to buy and install software. Depending on the telehealth software used, it might require purchase of a separate license per provider.

Besides that, facilities might need to purchase a dedicated office cell- phone with voice and data plan, or camera with mic for the office com- puter, to have two-way video and talk between the patient and the provider, Wang noted.

With the purchase of extra equipment comes the cost of maintenance and future replacement.

The use of telehealth does not lower health insurance costs for businesses or individuals. “Not at this moment. The telehealth rate paid by insurance companies is the same as the rate paid for face-to-face visits,” Wang said.

When COVID-19 hit, it showed

how fast we can innovate because we had to come up with good ideas even faster and

implement them even faster.”

Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO and president of YRMC.

However, Trenschel noted, the stoppage of elective and non-emergency surgeries meant that insurers have been collecting premiums without having to pay many claims.

Wang shared several ways in which patients could save on healthcare costs. Several programs assist patients with

Medicare Part D select a plan that will help them obtain their medications for less cost.

Sunset Health provides a sliding fee scale and discount programs to help patients with visits to the medical and dental departments. Regional Center for Border Health offers the CAPAZ program, a private medical discount Network that helps the uninsured and underinsured resi- dents of Yuma County receive affordable healthcare services on both sides of the border for a monthly payment.

Patients who use telehealth might save in other ways. “It does save money and time for the patient’s side, who does not need to physically go to the provider’s office or take time off from work,” Wang said.

Trenschel agrees, noting, “It’s more convenient. You don’t have to come in, get ready and drive to see your provider and go back. You can do it while sitting at your kitchen table. I know people like that convenience.”

Telemedicine is growing in popularity as more people discover and use it. “For patients who would never have tried it, now they’re excited. I think we’re going to find more that like it who have never tried it,” said Machele Headington, vice president of marketing and communications at YRMC.

But, Trenschel noted, “some things do require a face-toface,” for example, pelvic exams and listening to the heart.

“Not everything can be video or audio.”

“From an organizational perspective, if you can conduct a video visit, you don’t have as much overhead.

– Dr. Robert Trenschel, CEO and president of YRMC.

Trenschel thinks telemedicine will become the new normal as both patients and organizations find that they like it. “From the patient perspective, they can do it and be done in 15 minutes and not have to double or triple that with drive time, getting ready, and have the same outcome,” he said.

“From an organizational perspective, if you can conduct a video visit, you don’t have as much overhead,” Trenschel added.

Another innovation for YRMC is the ramping up of team nursing, which YRMC had always done on a smaller scale.

Traditionally, one nurse is assigned to work with a certain number of patients. With team nursing, nurses partner in the care of patients.

“That’s one of the ways we’ve been able to leverage nursing care,” Headington said.

She pointed out other innovations, things like 3-D mask- making and remote home offices, that might not have happened without the pandemic. Every industry, including healthcare, has been examining whether workers really need to be in an office and some are discovering that some employees might be better working at home.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how it changes the dynamics, not just of the healthcare industry but everybody,” Headington said.

Dr. Ching Wang, chief medical officer at Sunset Health

Both Yuma Regional Medical Center and Sunset Health have used innovative ways to provide the healthcare needed during the pandemic. The use of technology as well as drive-thru testing has helped patients and medical providers safely deal with issues.

Dr. Abhinav Chandra, Cancer Program Medical Director at the Yuma Regional Cancer Center, demonstrates how telemedicine works with a Zoom session on the computer in his office.

Yuma Regional Medical Center operated four stations in the parking lot of Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive, for COVID19 drive-up blitz testing. YRMC, partnering with Yuma County Health Department, Arizona Department of Health and the City of Yuma, hosted the free drive-through testing for COVID-19 as part of Gov. Doug Ducey’s “Testing Blitz. Testing was offered on a firstcome, first-served basis to help people determine if they are infected with COVID-19. According to YRMC, no physician lab order was required to participate, and the drive-up testing was intended for people 18 years and older who might have been experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or who may have been exposed to someone with the virus. People who were tested were asked to selfquarantine for 7-14 days while waiting for test results.