University Hospitals chooses new telehealth provider

The novel coronavirus pandemic increased demand for virtual medical appointments and, moving forward, telehealth will continue to hold a crucial role in patient care, according to University Hospitals.

In order to better serve patients through access and convenience, UH has chosen VisuWell as its new principal telehealth vendor, the release said.

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 release said.

The impact of telehealth became apparent during the challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic.

UH pivoted to meet the needs of patients, expanding telehealth visits from about 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, browserbased platform, VisuWell streamlines multiple aspects of telehealth visits, making the process easier and more efficient for everyone involved, according to the release.

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.

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, vice president of 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 for Sam Johnson. “At VisuWell, we partner with organizations to develop tailored virtual care strategies including telemedicine solutions to address health care’s biggest challenges, while providing them with a robust feature set and configurable options to help them successfully deliver virtual care for their patients.”

UH pivoted to meet the needs of patients, expanding telehealth visits from about 11,000 encounters in 2019 to more than 400,000 in 2020.