Memorial Healthcare finds success in transitioning to Epic-based telehealth provider

With 15,000 team members, 3,000 healthcare providers and annual operating revenue of $3.1 billion, Memorial Healthcare System is one of the largest public health systems in the US. Memorial, a South Florida-based academic medical center, operates six hospitals, including Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital; numerous primary, emergency and 24/7 care facilities; a specialized health center; and a nursing home.

THE PROBLEM

Memorial began offering on-demand virtual emergency care to its employees and patients through a third-party provider in 2016. With the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Memorial launched telehealth for all of its primary care and specialty centers, and is currently operating approximately 100,000 virtual care centers. visits per year.

Previously, Memorial’s providers noted that relying solely on a third-party provider for on-demand urgent care resulted in an inconsistent patient experience and raised quality concerns due to limited data sharing.

For example, the remote virtual providers did not have full access to patients’ medical records, causing a disconnect patient experiences and annoyances for patients who must submit their medical histories and medication lists as if they were receiving care from an entirely separate healthcare system.

Additionally, all data from these visits was lost to Memorial and the vendor team as it did not flow back to Memorial.

“With our previous virtual provider, we were able to brand the service to patients as our own, but virtual providers couldn’t ‘know’ patients because they didn’t have access to patients’ full medical records,” said Bill Manzie, administrative director of telehealth at Memorial. Healthcare system.

“The result was patients having to enter their medical histories or medication lists and wondering why the doctor didn’t already know this, leading to patient frustration and feelings of disconnection.”

PROPOSAL

In January 2023, Memorial began working with KeyCare, an Epic-based virtual care company (Memorial uses Epic for its EHR).

“With KeyCare, Memorial could provide its patients with a seamless virtual care experience, patients and staff could be assured that patient data is shared between KeyCare and Memorial providers, and Memorial could save money by taking advantage of Epic’s built-in interoperability features that keep technical needs to a minimum. of their staff,” Manzie explained.

“KeyCare provides healthcare systems with access to a nationwide network of virtual healthcare providers working on the optimized Epic instance, which then easily connects to other Epic-based healthcare systems,” he added.

Ultimately, the challenge Memorial faced was broadening its operations digital front door and expands its capabilities with a virtual workforce provider in a way that provides patients with a seamless experience, maintains the healthcare system’s brand and relationship with the patient, ensures robust data interoperability between the healthcare system and its partner, can quickly be implemented with minimal IT lift and could create a positive ROI, he said.

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

Memorial was an early adopter of Keycare and became the first site to go live with pediatrics. The project, which included weekly meetings and sessions focused on billing, reporting and marketing, launched on November 15, 2022.

Notably, the service was successfully launched just two months later, beginning on January 17, 2023. Today, both adult and pediatric patients nationwide can access KeyCare providers offering 24/7 on-demand virtual emergency care through MemorialDOCNow, Memorial’s online portal.

“Additionally, KeyCare providers have access to every Memorial patient’s data as they provide care and complete their notes on KeyCare’s Epic instance,” Manzie noted. “Upon completion of the visit, meeting information is automatically sent to Memorial at Epic’s Care Everywhere and Telehealth Anywhere functionality.

“Additionally, a message in the basket can be sent to the primary care provider or to an Epic pool designated by the healthcare system,” he continued.

“So Memorial providers and patients have a truly coordinated experience, as all encounter details can be viewed natively in their Memorial instance of Epic, and Memorial providers can review and reconcile any new allergies, medications, or issues posted by KeyCare .”

Today, the scope of work between Memorial and KeyCare includes:

• On-demand, 24/7 emergency care

• National coverage for consumers and employees

• Ensuring that new and existing users stay connected to Memorial’s digital front door instead of turning to an external third party for care

• Built-in interoperability between KeyCare’s Epic instance and Memorial’s Epic instance

• Advice from KeyCare’s executive and marketing teams on program design

RESULTS

Working with KeyCare has allowed Memorial to expand its care team, optimize capacity and broaden its digital front door, Manzie said.

“After going live with KeyCare, virtual visits grew rapidly, with more than 4,000 visits in the first ten months of the program’s launch,” he reported. “Through MemorialDOCNow, KeyCare providers have made visits to patients in more than 30 different states.”

In addition, he noted:

• The average wait time is approximately 10 minutes

• Reduced low-acuity visits to high-value office spaces or emergency rooms, as 54% of these patients reported they would otherwise have gone to the emergency room, 18% to primary care, and 9% to the emergency room if this virtual service was not available. This also reduces the risk of leakage to external healthcare systems

• Patients rated the experience very highly, with a net promoter score (NPS) of 87, and 91% of patients identified as promoters

ADVICE FOR OTHERS

In the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape, this close collaboration with a provider has set a benchmark for integrating technology to improve patient care and provider coordination, Manzie said.

“As we go through this journey, there are several lessons and advice we can offer to other healthcare providers considering a similar path,” he said. “Ensure that the technology integrates seamlessly with your existing systems. Using an advanced platform, combined with features such as Care Everywhere and Telehealth Anywhere, provides real-time access to patient data. This seamless integration is critical to maintaining comprehensive and continuous care , minimizing disruptions to existing workflows.

“Prioritize solutions that provide robust data sharing capabilities,” he continued. “The ability to access a patient’s data and share encounter information automatically ensures that every point of care is informed and up to date. This level of accessibility promotes a coordinated care experience, critical in a telehealth environment where continuity is critical is.”

And adopt technologies that improve communication between providers, he advised.

“The ability to send in-basket messages to healthcare providers or designated groups within our healthcare system illustrates how technology can facilitate direct and efficient communication between healthcare teams, keeping everyone informed and able to act quickly,” he concluded.

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