5 Lessons AHN Learned While Launching a Virtual ICU During the Pandemic

In a quest to build a virtual ICU program for multiple hospitals in its 13-hospital health system, Allegheny Health Network (AHN), Pittsburgh-based Highmark Health not only boosted its capacity to care for critically ill patients, it also built the infrastructure for expansion of future virtual care initiatives. At a time when telehealth and virtual care are top of mind, lessons AHN learned along the way provide a useful framework for other health systems exploring these endeavors. About three years ago, leaders at Highmark Health began exploring development of a virtual ICU, often called eICUs by other hospital systems. Highmark, which refers to itself as a "blended health organization," functions as a payer, operating one of the county's largest Blue Cross and Blue Shield Blue affiliates, as well as a provider through AHN.

The virtual ICU "became an opportunity for us to manage a larger volume of patients at the same level and capabilities as our quaternary care hospital with the ability to do that at the highest quality with the same outcomes," he says. Initially, four outlying hospitals were involved in the initiative, with a total of 64 ICU beds.