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Long before the boom of telehealth in the COVID-19 era, MedStar Health was using telehealth to improve how we deliver care and to enhance access and efficiency in care delivery. The MedStar Telehealth Innovation Center was founded to further explore and build our technologies, processes, and knowledge. When the world changed in 2020, our use of telehealth accelerated within a few short weeks to meet the sudden demand and overnight change in cultural expectation. Telehealth became commonplace, making care from home a safe, effective, and convenient choice.
After a rise through 2021, many health systems have had a gradual decline in utilization though telehealth remains a practical alternative to an in-person visit. MedStar Health has made intentional choices to leverage our experience and enhance care models to enable improved access, continuity, and sustainability. Most of MedStar Health’s office visits are in-person, yet telehealth is enabling us to further connect to our patients. We deliver personalized, high-quality care at any point in the patient journey, in ambulatory and hospital settings—and everywhere in between.
Connected care: More ways for you to stay in contact with your healthcare team.
Connected care is a commonly used industry term that encompasses telehealth and other technologies to enable remote care. At MedStar Health, connected care also describes a transformative team approach to delivering increased access, continuity, and flexibility for patients, while also ensuring operational efficiency and the wellbeing of our care teams. The integration of multiple technologies, remote and in-person teams, and thoughtful processes enable patients to meet their health goals through new points of care, ongoing relationships with existing care teams, improved chronic condition management outcomes, and simplified care transitions.
From telehealth to remote patient monitoring, connected care allows us to deliver a more human experience for both the patient and the caregiver. The result of this collaborative approach is better access to our high-quality clinical care, improved communication between our patients and providers, and a more personalized experience that ensures patients can access virtual primary care, specialists, and the support they need to get and stay healthy.
Telehealth visit options ensure you get seen quickly, wherever you are.
For patients seeking care in primary care offices, especially for sick care on short notice, the supporting nurse practitioner can now offer availability that day or the next by video if your regular doctor is not available. Patients can also see a MedStar Health urgent care provider 24/7 using MedStar eVisit - Telehealth. This allows patients with an unexpected illness or injury to get quick care for common, non-emergent conditions, such as pink eye or the flu, without having to wait in a doctor’s office.
Of course, some conditions and injuries warrant additional medical attention, and your care team will advise if you need to be seen in-person.
Learn more about on-demand telehealth through MedStar eVisit - Telehealth
Remote patient monitoring helps manage chronic disease in between visits.
Connected care means more than just convenient access when a visit is needed. We’ve seen improved patient outcomes from collecting and sharing medical data through remote patient monitoring, like blood pressure in hypertension or blood glucose in diabetes. Connecting patients with a care team to review and analyze data and symptoms allows us to gently and frequently adjust the care plan. Compared to a visit every few months and a handful of readings a year, our Healthy Blood Pressure program through Connected Primary Care allows a care team to collect a blood pressure reading at least four times a week, track symptoms, and make adjustments, when necessary.
Automated medication management makes it easier to refill medications without a visit or a phone call.
Using the MedStar Health Patient Portal, patients can request medication renewals when needed. Renewal reminders are also sent to patients when they are likely to run out so they can be prepared to refill. Thanks to automation, process improvements, and a workforce of nurse practitioners, teams have achieved enhanced safety reviews and faster turnaround times for patients.
Leveraging technology to make care delivery as human as possible.
Telehealth was first used for rural hospitals to connect to specialists in urban, academic centers. Decades of work by MedStar Health and others have made it clear that improving access is not only a question of geographic distance, it’s also an integral way we ensure patients at MedStar Health—whether in our hospitals, urgent care locations, or in their homes—can access the same high-quality primary, specialty, and supportive care that is available anywhere else in our system. For example, in a MedStar Health Urgent Care location, if a provider needs help with a patient, an emergency physician is available by video in less than two minutes.
In our hospitals, our specialists can bring care to the bedside from anywhere, delivering neurology expertise in emergency situations like stroke, or advising a patient and care team on the best course of action for palliative care. We have built a robust, on-the-ground workforce of Telehealth Technology Coordinators (TTCs) in each of our hospitals to ensure that patients get the connections they need to care teams or their families.
We aim to incorporate innovation with thoughtfulness and a patient-centered intention. Our focus remains on helping our professionals be fully present when interacting with our patients, whether they are in person or on video. Our innovation enables technology connections, but it is always in service of a human connection.
