For El Camino Hospital, The Pandemic Was a Springboard Into Broad Virtual Care

Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, El Camino had moved in the direction of telehealth, but virtual care was still a tool the hospital did not yet have. In 2019, when the organization launched a selection process for a telehealth vendor, Muro said it was difficult to talk with executives about why the hospital needed a virtual care platform. El Camino found that with the right infrastructure in place, it could stand up virtual care offerings quickly as various needs arise. Before the implementation, El Camino Hospital's work with Amwell was designed to offer a full-spectrum telehealth system that would support virtual, on-demand physician services across the continuum of care. Will it impact my relationship with the patient?" But soon after launching the telehealth platform, El Camino saw greater acceptance of the value of virtual care, especially in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. "With our virtual care platform, they could work from home, continuing to see patients if they were able to do so. At El Camino, the ability to provide a highly reliable virtual care experience is key, Muro stated. "

Our platform provides the data we need to ensure we are meeting patients' expectations and following evidence-based protocols of care," she said. "Just as retail providers check in with consumers and offer rewards for trying their products, we need to leverage virtual care to connect with patients between episodes of care, whether we're using technologies such as chatbots, remote monitoring or telehealth," she continued. They help El Camino meet patients where they are so they receive the care they need, when and where they need it, she added. Muro said El Camino does not yet have final telehealth metrics to report, but that the hospital is making investments in predictive analytics to not only care for patients when they are ill, but also put them on a good path for care by anticipating their needs. "Predictive analytics also helps us staff appropriately – including on the virtual care side – so we can provide the optimal patient experience," she said. El Camino Hospital's virtual care journey was not what it had envisioned before the pandemic emerged, but it addresses pain points in the patient experience in ways that the organization would not have anticipated. "Ultimately, our work in this area not only will meet the needs of consumers, but also our physicians, who will become better positioned to leverage virtual care for improved outcomes."