Riverside Virtual Visits, a new telemedicine service that launched to the public on Monday, aims to take care of exactly those situations by providing online access to board-certified physicians 24/7.
In partnership with American Well, a Boston-based company started in 2006 that provides doctors trained in online treatment, Riverside has expanded the use of telemedicine into the realm of urgent care via a downloadable app. The technology expands on the telemedicine services the health system has used for several years: video-conferencing between physicians to provide specialist care in rural areas and in select physician-patient treatment, such as geriatric psychiatry.
By contrast, the new platform allows patients to initiate contact directly with primary care physicians or internists for the treatment of minor ailments, such as allergies, colds, coughs, pinkeye, dizziness and rashes.
"The patient is in control. This is the patient coming to us and saying 'I want to select this care at this time in the way I want'," said Barry Gross, chief medical officer for Riverside.
Patients can register with Riverside — users do not have to be current Riverside patients — on a computer, or download an Amwell app for use on a mobile device. The screen then gives a choice of several doctors. Amwell physicians are board-certified in family practice or internal medicine, practice in the U.S. and are licensed in Virginia, according to company spokeswoman Catherine Anderson.
The screen shows their photos, gives a brief biography of each including their training, current practice, location and interests. It also indicates their availability. The patient can choose a physician and opt to be seen immediately — typically within 2 minutes, according to Liz Martin, Riverside vice president of telemedicine services — or make an appointment for a later time that's convenient to them.
Before the video consult, the physician checks the health history provided by the patient, the complaint and symptoms that they've typed in, former Amwell use, and Surescripts to see what medications they might be taking. The typical teleconference with the physician lasts about 10 minutes, Martin said, and the patient and Riverside are both provided with a summary report of the visit. Any prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy selected by the patient. Each visit costs a flat fee of $49 (discounted through April 15). Riverside is working to arrange insurance coverage for the service in the future.
If the tele-physician determines that the patient needs a physical evaluation, then they are referred either to the Riverside Nurse hotline (757-595-6363 Peninsula, 800-675-6368 toll-free) to connect them with appropriate care, or to an emergency room. In those instances, there's no charge, said Martin. "Eighty-five percent complete the visit online," she added.
Over the past eight years, Amwell has provided telemedicine care in more than 20 states; its clients include Gap, Oracle and Pitney Bowes in addition to large health and hospital systems. This month, the American Telemedicine Association awarded its first Accreditation for Online Patient Consultations to Amwell. The program ascertains privacy protections, transparency in pricing, and the qualifications and licensing of providers.
©2015 the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
