Faster care to be available come January

By Mikala Lindhardt

 

 

According to the National Emergencies Medical Services Information System, it takes nearly 9.5 minutes for an average ambulance to arrive on the scene where a patient is in need and more than 30 minutes for a patient to get to a hospital.

 

Now patients can receive care in a matter of seconds.

 

Beginning next month, Logan Regional Hospital will use a program called telehealth. This new technology allows patients to FaceTime with a physician and receive care and diagnostic treatment.

 

“We plan to implement this on a limited basis in January to SelectHealth patients and then expand it broadly to the community in 2016,” said Jana Huffman, the regional operations officer for Cache Valley Intermountain Healthcare.

 

Huffman said patients who use the telehealth program will be treated as if at an Instacare facility, but it will be in their own home using FaceTime. There will be a physician on call 24/7 to answer such calls.

 

“One of the biggest advantages for something like this would be for a physician to provide care to patients without the need for them to travel,” said Takiko May, a hospitalist trained in internal medicine at Logan Regional Hospital.

 

Telehealth will be for mild to moderate sicknesses such as colds, fevers, urinary tract infection and sprained ankles. For major illnesses where x-rays and labs are needed, patients will need to visit a facility for further care.

 

In order for patients to receive these services, they will need to submit an online credit card payment before the FaceTime appointment.

 

“It is a retail healthcare service, so they have a basic fee for the visit you pay upfront before the start of the visit,” Huffman said.

 

It is not anticipated a majority of patients will begin to use it, but the hospital is hopeful for it to grow.

 

“It is expected that 1 to 2 percent of patients will use this over time,” Huffman said.