UCHealth expands virtual visits to over 700 clinics amid COVID-19
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- More than 700 UCHealth clinics are now offering Virtual Visits to allow patients to keep seeing their regular primary care and specialty providers while staying safe at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
With the amount of people with coronavirus in our local hospitals, going to the doctor right now may raise some concerns.
As we learn more about how contagious COVID-19 is, UCHealth is begun broadening virtual visits so patients still have access to medical providers, but don't have to put themselves in a position where they might be at risk.
Inside a COVID-19 ICU unit at UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central, doctors and nurses use all the protection they have in order to keep themselves safe from the virus. But it creates worry for non-COVID care patients who need to continue their regular doctor visits.
"Folks and patients are worried about going to the hospital. They're doing the right thing because they don't want to overwhelm the healthcare system and make sure the sickest patients are seen first," said Dr. Katie Markley, senior medical director of UCHealth Ambulatory Services.
So UCHealth was quick to offer its patients a virtual option.
"A smartphone and a tablet, really a couple of clicks [is all it takes] to get into the visit," Dr. Markley said.
It's a platform Dr. Chris Davis, the Medical Director of Virtual Health for UCHealth says continues to grow.
"The demand for virtual care has absolutely exploded. We went from seeing about 20 visits a day to 260 – over a 1,000% increase in actual visit volume," he said.
It's become a way to keep patients healthy and safe in a time where so much is uncertain.
"It's very hard for a patient to know when do I see a provider in person and when is it safe to see them virtually. We can use a video visit to triage that issue," Dr. Davis said.
Helping a variety of patients through a mouse and keyboard, without ever seeing them in person.
"Patients are seeing cardiologists, neurologists, behavioral health specialists, and surgeons," Dr. Markley said.
The urgent care visits are covered by insurance, without urgent care visits its a $49 fee. The virtual visits for primary care visits to your family practice physician are billed to insurance.
Despite offering several kinds of services through virtual visits -- it's important to still call 911 if you're experiencing a medical emergency.
