Horizon Health Services, a behavioral health care provider in New York, in November 2019 implemented telemedicine with the goal of meeting the needs of patients and the ever-changing world of technology. change. Then COVID-19 hit. That has accelerated the use of telehealth for Horizon and the world.
PROBLEM
In the year after COVID-19 hit, healthcare has changed. Telehealth technology has become part of the clinical care delivery model. And Horizon’s telehealth maturity has grown. Activity has changed.
“We therefore needed to implement a more integrated telehealth solution to streamline employee workflow and simplify the customer experience,” explains Jake Haacker, CIO at Horizon Health Services. patient”. “We needed to scale up to a platform that was truly integrated with the Oracle Cerner Millennium EHR, improving patient communication and eliminating the requirement for a mobile app to require usernames and passwords. .”
PROPOSE
In 2019, Horizon deployed telemedicine technology from supplier Amwell. With that relationship in place, Horizon was able to identify, brainstorm, and develop answers to known problems and opportunities.
“It’s clear that Amwell’s Convergence platform will provide Horizon with a powerful solution that already has a long-standing partnership with Oracle Cerner,” Haacker said.
“In addition to the newly developed solution, the vendor offers speed to market and deployment, as the system has been code-certified in the Oracle Cerner Application Library,” he continued. “This unique offering has allowed Horizon to accelerate the migration into service.”
“We’ve reduced our total wait times for appointments by 40% by introducing virtual visits through the new platform.”
Jake Hacker, Horizon Health Services
Haacker adds: “Within two and a half months of transitioning to the new EHR, Horizon has integrated the Converge telehealth system into its clinical charting, providing advisors, physicians and other users with a one-stop shop. for all clinical care, Haacker added.
MARKET
There are many telemedicine technology and service providers in the medical IT market today. Healthcare IT News published a special report highlighting many of these vendors with detailed descriptions of their products. Click here to read the special report.
MEET CHALLENGES ONLY
With telemedicine EHR integration, all patient meetings are now in a single system. From initial phone call, scheduling, telehealth, clinical documentation, and billing, all the steps are in the EHR workflow.
Haacker notes: “Employees no longer have to double down on work effort with scheduling in the EHR as well as standalone legacy telehealth systems, or switch to another screen to log in to see patients. “. “All of the workflows for that patient encounter have been consolidated into a ‘single solution’ context. Currently, our clinical staff serves approximately 50% of our patients through through telehealth and patient surveys have shown very high satisfaction rates with this facility.
“In addition, from a patient experience perspective, patients no longer have to register for a user account, remember their password, or actively log into the system before the appointment time,” he continued. “Converged integration enables text or email of visit time with a secure link that allows patients to simply click to participate. This new workflow has dramatically improved the patient experience and 50% reduction in related technical support requests.”
RESULT
After switching to Converge, Horizon Health Services has significantly reduced the burden on employees regarding scheduling, telehealth, clinical documentation, and billing.
“Previously, all of these issues were handled in separate programs, so there was a lot of duplication for employees,” says Haacker. “Now that all clinical and operational workflows are within our EHR, staff have less administrative work and can focus on patient care.
“With Converge, we are also able to expand the telecommunications capabilities of our residents and are currently supporting services in two underserved rural areas in New York,” he added. “We support nearly 900 new patients – and counting – in these underserved areas who previously had little access to behavioral health and use disorder services. drug use.”
Horizon also unlocks a much faster and more satisfying patient experience.
Haacker reports: “By enabling a simple, one-click access process, patients no longer have to provide and remember usernames and passwords, making it much easier for them to initiate an appointment. “. “Horizon also significantly reduced wait times to schedule appointments.
“The availability of in-person or virtual visits allows us to triage cases and schedule initial appointments for patients within one business day, if needed,” he continued. “Previously, the average wait time for an initial appointment was 5.25 days. Likewise, we’ve reduced the total wait time for appointments by 40% by introducing visits. virtual through the new platform.”
USE THE PRIZE FUNDS
Horizon Health Services has been accepted to participate in the FCC Connected Care Pilot Program, which covers 85% of the eligible costs of the broadband connection, network equipment, and information services needed to provide services. Connected care services for groups of patients. Horizon used that funding to purchase Amwell Converge’s telehealth technology.
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