By James Moffett
Who could have imagined in March of 2020, when COVID hit, that it would have longstanding implications on how the needs of COVID and non-COVID patients are met?
There were several challenges created by COVID with the increased volumes of patients seeking access to care for both COVID and non-COVID-related needs. Call volumes are higher than ever, resulting in long wait times and difficulty returning calls in a timely fashion. Patient appointment wait times for new and follow-up visits are unreasonably long as physicians, and care teams struggle with the added demand of COVID patients, the loss of staff availability due to COVID compounded by record rates of turnover across the entire health care landscape.
COVID has changed the nature of the patient encounter, limiting visitors, increasing safety measures and disciplined use of personal protection equipment (i.e., masks, face shields, gowns) for both the care team member and the patient, increasing the time required to conduct an appropriate patient encounter further reducing access. Ease of navigation from one care site to another has also been more complicated than before COVID. Due to these challenges, the Holy Cross Medical Group (HCMG), like medical groups across the country, have adapted to these demands and deployed new capabilities that will benefit patient access, safety, and care for years to come regardless of COVID.
Holy Cross Medical Group (HCMG) recognized and responded to the need to answer the phones quickly and effectively by centralizing the call center. HCMG started with the primary care offices and rapidly expanded to the larger specialty practices. This resulted in greater than 98% of patient calls being answered in less than 30 seconds. Specialized training allows for the call center representative to answer questions and schedule appointments while on the call eliminating long wait times, voicemails and return phone calls. Their training also prepares the call center representative to assess the health condition, and if COVID may be a factor, it can guide the patient to available resources.
A collaborative team approach is improving access to patient appointments. While the patient/provider relationship remains a priority, a patient’s immediate need may require seeing a provider who has immediate availability versus waiting for the established physician relationship to have an appointment available, which could be many weeks out. This is accommodated by the centralized call center who has visibility into all physician schedules and can navigate a patient to another excellent physician either in the exact location or at a geographically convenient location nearby.
Telehealth is another exciting method by which patient access to their physician can be accommodated. The rapid development of telehealth platforms allows patients to quickly and easily engage in a video visit with their physician from the comfort of their own home. Telehealth has proven to be an excellent solution for those patients with mobility or immunocompromised conditions. Telehealth makes the visit both safer and more convenient.
Lastly, online scheduling provides access to care to the patient by logging onto an online scheduling option. Doc ASAP is a scheduling tool available to all current and potential patients of HCMG and accessible from any electronic device such as smartphone, tablet, or computer. It will list physician availability and make scheduling as simple as selecting a time that is convenient for them.
While COVID has had heartbreaking implications across every community, it has pushed the adoption of centralized services such as call centers and the advancement of technology such as telehealth and online scheduling. HCMG has taken full advantage of these new capabilities to serve our patients better.
It is essential to note that in addition to learning and deploying new capabilities, HCMG and other excellent health care organizations across the community have known how to keep patients and care teams safe while seeking care. It is crucial that those in need of care understand this and don’t delay care even though COVID continues to be a challenge in our communities.
James Moffett is President, Holy Cross Health Medical Group.
