When Health Services Management (HSM), a multi-state, non-profit long-term care community operator, wanted to improve after-hours care at three of their Texas facilities, they did so for a common reason: too many residents were getting transferred out to the emergency department after hours.

“All our problems seem to happen on night and weekends when physicians are on-call and not as engaged,” says Kevin Baxter, VP of Operations. HSM turned to PointClickCare for Virtual Health, a program staffed by Sound Physicians and fully integrated into the PointClickCare EMR.

Widespread adoption of telemedicine only truly occurred recently as a by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that many SNF operators are still at the outset of delivering virtual care and building successful telemedicine programs.

In an era when more and more patients want to be — and need to be — treated in place, SNFs pursuing virtual care are among those at the forefront of the industry.

To facilitate this technological evolution, PointClickCare developed Virtual Health. Integrated technology means easy and fast access to qualified tele-hospitalists directly from the patient record, ensuring optimal care for patients, improved staff satisfaction and enhanced revenue opportunities.

The Virtual Health program led to several benefits, including:

• Improved treat-in-place rates
• Fewer hospital readmissions
• Engaged physician support after-hours

“PointClickCare’s integrated Virtual Health is amazing,” said Michele A. Cone (RN, BSN, LNHA) in a recent Skilled Nursing News webinar. Cone, who is Director of Nursing Services at Kirkhaven, a short-term and long-term care facility in Rochester, New York, noted that prior to implementing integrated Virtual Health, a change in a condition frequently resulted in a transfer to the emergency department.

“Under the direction of the physician, our nurses provide treatment immediately in the patient’s room, avoiding delay in treatment and the disruption of transferring the patient to the hospital,” Cone said.

Change management — easier than you might think

After years of picking up the phone to call a physician after hours, many nurses resist the switch to video encounters. Multiple devices, passwords, and technology platforms all compound the challenge, but PointClickCare has eliminated these barriers.

“One important aspect of this integrated product is the ease in which we can get to video,” Cone said during the webinar. “It is a single button click to get to the physician, and we can almost immediately go to video on any device.”

With integration, nurses connect to virtual care with one click, the patient can receive a medical evaluation in a matter of minutes.

“Under the direction of the physician, our nurses provide treatment immediately in the patient’s room, avoiding delay in treatment and the disruption of transferring the patient to the hospital,” she said.

Less time spent on technology means more time caring for residents, and integrated Virtual Health makes it possible.

This article is sponsored by Sound Physicians. To learn more about Virtual Health, visit pointclickcare.com/products/virtual-health.