FROM ZERO TO CAPACITY

THE PIVOT TO TELEHEALTH

In 2020, when the Clinic was forced to halt onsite patient visits due to Alameda County’s shelter-inplace mandate, patient care fell to zero. Clinic leadership accelerated the implementation of Kareo, a telehealth software solution, and slowly— by the end of the year—we were back operating at capacity. Implementation of the technology required significant staff training, but with an incredible collaborative effort, operations shifted and scaled to a fully virtual care model—at warp speed.

The medical team embraced the change, and physicians switched to phone and video consultations. Leveraging new digital recordkeeping tools, doctors working remotely were able to access patient histories, order lab tests and prescribe medications electronically. As onsite visits resumed, in a reduced capacity in accordance with health and safety guidelines, demand for virtual care remained high. In fact, we surpassed annual projections for telehealth visits and were able to care for patients far beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, including individuals in other parts of the U.S. and abroad. We will continue to expand our telehealth features including the patient portal for online scheduling, patient-staff communications and enhanced video conferencing.

As onsite visits resumed, in a reduced capacity in accordance with health and safety guidelines, demand for virtual care remained high. In fact, we surpassed annual projections for telehealth visits and were able to care for patients far beyond the San Francisco Bay Area, including individuals in other parts of the U.S. and abroad. We will continue to expand our telehealth features including the patient portal for online scheduling, patient-staff communications and enhanced video conferencing.

BY THE NUMBERS

Many economists, with mounting economic data, are pointing to a V-shaped recovery as the nation and the world emerge from the pandemic. The trend is fueled by increased vaccination rates, a rise in consumer confidence and spending reflective of pent-up demand. A microcosm of the world around us, our clinic is showing a similar pattern. We are seeing a V-shaped return to patient visits, both in-person and virtual—via our highly successful telehealth initiative. Projected patient visits for 2021 are forecasted to be above 6,000, 30 percent above our last “normal” year in 2019.

A FOCUS ON STAFF DEVELOPMENT MEETING PATIENT NEEDS ACCESS TO VIRTUAL CARE

100 percent of our medical staff received telehealth training. patient visits were facilitated virtually and onsite. percent of patients accessed care through telehealth services.

MEETING PATIENT NEEDS

2,670 patient visits were facilitated virtually and onsite.

ACCESS TO VIRTUAL CARE

72 percent of patients accessed care through telehealth services.