When challenged with balancing competing priorities, having established, trustworthy, and streamlined processes is critical to success. Health networks leaders are often given the impossible task of creating efficiencies and improving cost-savings without sacrificing the quality of care.
As telemedicine continues to expand and be accepted by patients and caregivers as a trusted and viable option, hospitals are recognizing their own needs and the value that a reliable -overarching telemedicine service can bring to their network.
The first step to implementing such an innovative model is to recognize the challenges your health network is facing.
How a Health Network Can Approach a System-Wide Solution to ID Care
For the sake of this example, we’ll call this health network ABC123 Health Network.
ABC123 Health Network is a 12-hospital health system based in a rural Midwest area. Their network consists of one flagship 300-bed hospital located within the city’s center, with 11 smaller peripheral hospitals in surrounding areas, all spanning a 70-mile radius surrounding the flagship hospital and ranging from 50-150 beds in size.
ABC123 knew it was time to improve the quality of their infectious diseases (ID) care. In seeking an infectious diseases (ID) telemedicine partner, ABC123 aimed to address the following challenges:
No or minimal coverage at distant hospitals
Due to frequency, needs, and bed size, many of the network’s peripheral hospitals had no onsite ID coverage.
Frequent transfers from peripheral hospitals
Because of the lack of onsite ID coverage at peripheral hospitals, many patients with ID conditions would be transferred to the flagship hospital for care that could have been treated closer to home.
Limited network-wide ID coverage
While ID physicians from the flagship hospital would consult with peripheral hospitals without onsite ID care, their bandwidth was often limited, resulting in frustrated hospitalists, incomplete coverage, and delays in care.
Burnt out ID Physicians
ID physicians at both the flagship hospital and peripheral hospitals often felt overwhelmed by the number of ID cases – leading to a rotating door of ID physicians and poor retention for the hospitals.
No evening, weekend, or PTO coverage
The burnout those ID physicians experienced was exacerbated by the fact that taking PTO was nearly impossible, and they were always on call on evenings, weekends, and holidays. To address the wellbeing of these physicians, evening and weekend coverage became very limited across the system with lack of coverage when ID physicians are on PTO or leave of absence.
A Single ID-Telemedicine Overarching Model is the Solution
Do these challenges sound familiar? ID Connect – Health System Solutions offers a streamlined approach to ID telemedicine for ABC123 Health System, seamlessly providing an overarching ID telemedicine service for the entire network which extends the access to ID expertise while protecting your onsite ID team. The network benefits from receiving world-class ID care from a dedicated group of academic faculty from ID Connect, timely care, 365/24/7 reliable coverage. This model solution is customized to fit the health system’s needs and budget.
In addition to addressing ABC123 Health System’s challenges outlined above, with Health System Solutions, the system can benefit from:
A group credit system for shared monthly minimum consult pools, ensuring flagship and peripheral hospitals are covered when and where they need it.
A dedicated group of ID providers – allowing onsite ID physicians to establish relationships with ID Connect’s team.
Access to staff education resources, including grand rounds presentations and ongoing educational opportunities.
Detailed EMR notes and improved continuity of care.
Is your health network facing the same challenges as ABC123 Health Network? Reach out to sales@idctelemed.com to learn more about ID Connect – Health System Solutions and get started today.
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