Page 60 - Innovation Delaware 2021

there was a medical divide, and we’ve tried to address it,” says SHARON ANDERSON, the system’s chief virtual health officer. “We knew that digital communications weren’t possible everywhere. We received an FCC bridge grant of $714,000 for telecare, which we’ve used for broadband and tablets in people’s homes. We’ve also set up care facilities at the Latin American Community Center to provide services, including COVID testing.”
Bayhealth’s Kaufmann says his system already had its Telestroke program to virtually evaluate an emergency patient, and a virtual link between its hospitals. “Many of our doctors and patients were already familiar with digital technology,” he says. “We partnered with Bayhealth Home Healthcare, so when someone would be doing a home visit, [they would] set up a virtual visit with a physician as well.”
“It helped that the state and federal government relaxed some regulations during this period,” Kaufmann continues. “That allowed for virtual technology for teleconferencing to be used that was already secured, but which had not been
LISA MAXWELL
SHARON ANDERSON
previously approved by HIPAA [the law that protects patient privacy]. Medicare relaxed what it would allow to be covered and reimbursed with virtual patient visits.” He also notes that a workaround was established for physician licensing. For example, a physician licensed in Delaware but not in Maryland would have been authorized to conduct a virtual
visit with a patient at their home in Maryland.
Lessons for the Future
Each of the health care systems emphasizes that the pandemic experience has provided lessons that will carry forward beyond COVID.
As one example, Kaufmann says Bayhealth wants to standardize three- way calling with a patient, their physician and a distant relative or caregiver in cases where a patient may need help in understanding a medical diagnosis and what is being recommended to address it. This way, the relative can listen, watch and ask questions of the physician. Too often, a patient may feel frustrated in trying to explain what took place in the doctor’s office, and the caregiver is frustrated not knowing exactly what took place.
Tam at Beebe hopes that in the future “such procedures as mammograms or colonoscopies that a patient knows are routinely needed can be scheduled by the patient without having to have an order from a physician.” Additionally, he says, “We all know hospitals are expensive. Is there a way we can do more to move in-patient services to their homes?” Tam also wants IT security to be better in virtual care. “As we ramped up our online presence, we played defense when it came to security.”
Finally, ChristianaCare’s Anderson says that her system is becoming more proactive in its relations with patients within its care network. “Patients shouldn’t always have to seek our care,” she says. “We’re not waiting for you to come to us.”
58 DelawareBusinessTimes.com