Atrium Health Virtual Edge Launches 'Complete Telemedicine Offering'

Atrium Health Virtual Edge will partner with other hospitals, employers and commercial payers to deliver clinically appropriate, consumer-oriented care.

Atrium Health this week announced the launch of an expansive telehealth platform that will give patients a wide range of virtual primary and specialty care options.

"Virtual health is no longer a nice-to-have or an augmentation of care," said Scott Rissmiller, MD, executive vice president and chief physician executive for Atrium Health. "It is an essential and necessary way of clinical care delivery and customer service for any healthcare system. It allows us to deliver affordable, accessible care for all."

During the pandemic, the Atrium Health Hospital at Home program allowed tens of thousands of COVID-19 patients to be treated virtually, freeing bedspace and conserving staff time and personal protective equipment.

The virtual program has since been extended to cardiac patients, a process that Rissmiller said is the product of a decade of telehealth innovation at Atrium Health, a 42-hospital health system based in Charlotte, NC.

"Since the beginning, our goal has been crystal clear; to make virtual health an everyday part of how we care for patients," Rissmiller said. "We realized years ago that there were cost factors, convenience factors and access issues that could be improved upon through advancements in virtual care delivery. With dozens of rural hospitals closing their doors, we recognized that we could extend the reach of our renowned clinicians to help more people through virtual care."

The new remote care platform, Atrium Health Virtual Edge, will partner with other hospitals, employers and commercial payers to deliver clinically appropriate, consumer-oriented care that could also extend to patients living in remote and underserved areas, said Katie Kriener, senior vice president of Medical Group Operations for Atrium. 

"Within Atrium Health Virtual Edge, our critical care, neurology, stroke, psychiatry, infectious disease and hospitalist programs all offer virtual hospital-based services, providing access to specialty care, while also helping balance provider supply," Kriener said.

Atrium has seen substantial, tangible results from its virtual offerings, Kriener said.  

"We've achieved significant improvement in mental health and cost, including greater than 40% remission rates, 27% reduction in avoidable inpatient visits and 7% reduction in avoidable emergency department visits," she said.

Atrium also uses virtual, school-based clinics, providing students with increased access to care during school hours, which Kriener said has yielded 55% fewer avoidable emergency department visits and a 33% reduction in school absences.