MemorialCare is offering asynchronous virtual visits and virtual urgent care visits around the clock seven days a week.
Providing timely access to care beyond emergency rooms and urgent care centers is a challenge for many health systems and hospitals. Offering services through a virtual care program is a primary solution to the problem.
MemorialCare is offering a 24/7 virtual care service, Get Care Now, that the health system believes is the future of care in California. At MemorialCare, launching the Get Care Now virtual service is helping the health system address strained access to primary care physicians, according to Eugene Kim, MD, CMO of MemorialCare.
"The primary care doctor is still the captain of the ship in a patient's care; but these doctors are busy, and access to them is a challenge," Kim says. "So, offering different levels of access points that are convenient for patients is critical."
Get Care Now primarily offers patients two kinds of visits with physicians and advanced practice providers: QuickCare visits and virtual urgent care visits.
A QuickCare visit is asynchronous. The patient fills out a questionnaire and gives their symptoms and history. This information is sent electronically and within minutes there is a response to the patient with a diagnosis and treatment plan. The cost of a QuickCare visit for the patient is $20 out of pocket.
Virtual urgent care visits through Get Care Now are conducted with video conferencing. They are live interactions as opposed to asynchronous interactions. The cost of a virtual urgent care visit for the patient is either a typical co-pay or $75 out of pocket.
Eugene Kim, MD is CMO of MemorialCare. Photo courtesy of MemorialCare.
Get Care Now is designed to address a range of low-acuity conditions, including colds, influenza, abdominal and gastrointestinal issues, headaches, and back pain. For dermatological conditions, a patient can take a photo of their skin and send it to a Get Care Now clinician. If a Get Care Now visit results in a determination that a patient needs a higher level of care, a clinician can direct the patient to the right place, Kim explains.
Get Care Now is a model that represents the future of more convenient care for patients in California, according to Kim.
"If patients want this level of access, it is typically a concierge model at other health systems," Kim says. "This model provides a level of access to patients that is a win for them. We are finding a way to provide this level of access that is sustainable."
Get Care Now is aligned with MemorialCare's goal to provide value-based care. More convenient care can be provided at a lower cost, and increased access to care increases the value of care, Kim explains. Lastly, the sooner conditions are addressed, the less likely they are to progress.
"Get Care Now offers the right type of care at the right place at the right time," Kim says. "If you can provide care without a trip to the emergency room, that is better from a value-based care viewpoint."
Christopher Cheney is the CMO editor at HealthLeaders.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
At MemorialCare, offering 24/7 virtual care services is helping the health system address strained access to primary care physicians.
The virtual care service, which is called Get Care Now, is staffed by physicians and advanced practice providers.
Get Care Now is aligned with MemorialCare's goal to provide value-based care, with clinicians providing the right type of care in a setting that has lower cost than a setting such as emergency rooms.