Radiology provider Envision Healthcare says it’s delivered 130,000 virtual visits since the pandemic started
Radiology provider Envision Healthcare said Thursday that it has delivered more than 130,000 virtual visits since the pandemic started in March, with a “significant” increase among the senior population.
The Nashville-based physician firm said such visits have occurred across 34 states and in hospitals, offices, urgent care clinics and post-acute settings.
The company employs some 900 radiologists while also offering care in emergency medicine, anesthesiology and neonatology. Envision did not offer a detailed breakdown of the visits by specialty but noted that its physicians have long delivered remote care in radiology, stroke treatment and neurology.
“At our office-based practices, we have seen a significant increase in patients aged 65 and older seeking telemedicine treatment,” Matthew Bush, MD, president of integrated markets, said in a statement. “Virtual health has been essential to care delivery during this pandemic, particularly for at-risk and vulnerable populations. As we expand our virtual health services across states and medical sites, we are seeing more patients embrace the resource as a way to receive quality, patient-centered care.”
For potential COVID patients specifically, Envision said it has used virtual care to provide consults, and assess their conditions to determine whether follow-up care or testing is necessary. The private equity-backed provider also outlined the steps its taking to help stressed-out docs earlier this month, and is reportedly mulling bankruptcy with the pandemic drying up a chunk of its business.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.