As rural suppliers continue to face the shortage of workforce and access challenges, Sanford Health is doubling virtual care, not only as an offer of services, but as an integrated model for training, retention and community health.
This month at the Reuters Digital Health Conference in Nashville, Jeremy Cauwels, medical director of Sanford, explained how this looks at the Sioux Falls system, based in South Dakota, which operates in the west.
Sanford doctors in 79 specialties have provided virtual attention this year, and these virtual visits are saving an average of 176 miles on car trips by the patient, said Cauwels.
“That is half a gas tank for some vehicles and the half -day work hem,” he said.
Not only virtual care is more convenient for patients, but it can also help fill critical gaps in access, added Cauwels.
He pointed out that a decade ago in the rural areas surrounding Bemidji, Minnesota, there were five community hospitals that had at least a primary care doctor who delivered babies. Now, that number is zero, he said.
To address this problem, Sanford is using virtual tools, such as ultrasound and vital portable kits, in emergency departments to evaluate and support pregnant women remotely.
“We can virtual and connect not only to mom, but also to those local emergency rooms, and make the decision 100 miles away on whether the mother needs to be sent to Bemidji for the only care of obstetrics or white theater”, “”, “” ”
He also noted that virtual and person visits help maintain the continuity of care and compliance with obstetric guidelines, resulting in better maternal and fetal health results. In general, he believes that a more frequent communication through virtual mean helps to help ER visits avoidable when catching early problems.
The tools that improve the monitoring and monitoring of patients also relieve the emotional burden of doctors, which leads to better job satisfaction and retention, said Cauwels.
He pointed out that Sanford is totally committed to expanding the scope and impact of virtual care, so much that the health system builds a physical center that supports virtual care training and provides a technological infrastructure.
“People would say:” You don’t need a building to do that. “We need a building herb to be able to teach it. Maybe walking around the wall and sitting and talking to the patient so they can understand how things really felt in that exchange,” Cauwels said.
This virtual care center gives doctors a place to learn, reflect and participate in patient care using technology, he said.
By investing both in people and technology, Sanford seeks to create a more sustainable future for suppliers and a more accessible system for patients.