Getting out of bed, trying to clean up and get dressed, then brave the cold winter weather to see a doctor because you are suffering from a case of the flu could become a thing of the past as people become more acclimated to Summit Pacific Medical Center’s virtual care program.
The Elma-based health care provider began offering the electronic alternative to in-person visits late last spring. But so many people coming down with flu during the past couple of weeks has resulted in heightened awareness of virtual care and it’s now being considered as a viable option, said Lauren Day, director of communications and development for Summit Pacific.
The care giver and patient communicate by phone or video — Skype, FaceTime or Video Chat — and at the beginning the provider asks questions to determine whether the consultation indeed should be virtual.
Who might expect to find this service helpful? “Someone wanting care who might be thinking, for example, ‘It’s the weekend … what can I do? … Or a mom at home taking care of children,”’ she said.
The majority of the hospital’s service district is rural. Providing virtual care also further broadens network of patients that can access care by Summit Pacific, according to Day.
Summit Pacific purchased advertising and sent out direct mailers introducing the service when it was being introduced. Flu season, however, seemed to draw people to it. The hospital hasn’t yet compiled specific totals for use of the virtual care service during the flu outbreak, but personnel noticed a substantial uptick in the number of requests for it, Day noted.
“It’s had a lot to do with teaching our community the value of virtual care,” said Tammy Moore, the hospital’s vice president of care transformation.
Moore said virtual care offers the benefit of not having to sit in a waiting room for two hours to receive medical advice. And adds,“you’re not potentially spreading the illness to others when you stay at home.”
It’s not appropriate care for everyone, however. An example of someone who should see a care giver in person would be a smoker who has come down with the flu but has required treatment for a lung problem in the past, she stressed.
Problems that likely can be addressed through virtual care include flu, colds, ear pain, some skin rashes, sore throat, pink eye, and some urinary tract infections, according to the hospital’s web site, where there is a more detailed list of physical ailments conducive to this type of care.
These consultations usually last about 20 minutes and prescriptions are phoned into the pharmacy. No narcotics are prescribed as a result of a virtual visit.
For details, visit https://summitpacificmedicalcenter.org/wordpress/ and look for the button near the top right-hand corner of the page that says “Virtual Care”
Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen is currently vetting virtual care products that would serve a similar purpose as Summit Pacific’s by allowing patients with health issues that are easy to diagnose to obtain care from home, said Nancee Long, GHCH spokesperson.
A screen grab from a smart phone showing a page from Summit Pacific Medical Center’s Virtual Care Clinic. These consultations by phone or computer video began last year but flu season has resulted in more community interest, according to a hospital spokesperson. (Terri Harber|The Daily World)
