What You Need to Know:
– Amwell launches a national Coronavirus (COVID-19) telehealth response program to help hospitals, health systems, and health plans manage and mitigate coronavirus spread.
– Telehealth can serve as a force multiplier in the public health response to the COVID-19 outbreak, improving access to care directly from the home.
– Amwell has established an always-on-call infection control officer, COVID-19 specific workflows to guide clinical operations and quality, and has established a COVID-19 Readiness Team.
American Well® (Amwell), a national telehealth technology and services company, announced that it is working with key stakeholders across healthcare to ensure telehealth is seen and used appropriately as a first line of defense to mitigate the impact and spread of COVID-19. As recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within their Preparing Communities for Potential Spread of COVID-19 action plan, leveraging telehealth tools to direct people to the right level of healthcare for their medical needs should be part of first responders’, healthcare providers’, and health systems’ response to this global outbreak.
Levering Telehealth as an Initial COVID-19 Screening Tool
Telehealth can serve as a force multiplier in the public health response to the COVID-19 outbreak, improving access to care directly from the home. Amwell and its associated Amwell Medical Group have been proactive from the outset to ensure care delivered across its national telehealth network conforms to national and international standards.
In addition to ongoing communication and training for the thousands of doctors who deliver care on Amwell’s platform, the company has established an always-on-call infection control officer, COVID-19 specific workflows to guide clinical operations and quality, and has established a COVID-19 Readiness Team.
Why It Matters
“Telehealth is the ideal venue for initial screening of patients with respiratory conditions that are common in COVID-19,” said Peter Antall, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Amwell. “Our board-certified telehealth providers are trained to screen patients, assign risk, answer questions, and recommend the next steps a patient should take. For most patients we can help the patient heal at home. However, when necessary, we can facilitate a “white glove” transfer for in-person care. Not only can telehealth greatly minimize the demands on in-person primary care, urgent care, and emergency departments across the country; it can also reduce unnecessary risk to patients and care teams from further exposure to this highly infectious virus.”
Dr. Peter Antall and Mike Putnam, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Amwell, will host a webinar on Thursday, March 5, 2020 from 12pm – 1pm EST titled “The COVID-19 Outbreak: How to Use Telehealth as a Key Element of Your Infection Control and Prevention Strategy”.
You can register for the webinar by visiting: http://go.americanwell.com/WBN2020-03-05Covid-19ClientWebinar_LP-Registration.html
