This interview is part of a series of interviews supported by HLTH and CHIME to highlight key insights and perspectives from leading executives speaking at ViVE
Over the past two years, the pandemic has prompted many hospitals and health systems to rapidly scale up virtual care, Accelerate program implementation of digital health tools. At the ViVE Conference March 6-9 in Miami Beach, Dr. Albert Chan, Head of Digital Health at Sutter Health, will participate in a panel discussion on the intersection of healthcare automation and the patient experience titled, Complement the patient experience with automation.
He will join the group by:
- Jonathan Machado, Senior Investment Director, Samsung NEXT (Moderator)
- Aditya Bansod, Co-founder and CTO, Luma Health
- Heather Fernandez, Co-Founder and CEO of Solv Health
- Julia Hu, CEO and Co-founder of Lark
To view the full agenda, Click here.
To register ViVE, Click here.
In response to email questions, Chan provided a window into his experience working with digital health at Sutter, from behavioral health to patient portals and artificial intelligence.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited
You gave a presentation last year reviewing Sutter Health’s shift to expanding telehealth since the pandemic began. What progress has Sutter made in adopting virtual health since then?
Part of the progress comes from expanding the definition of this care delivery model and showing all the ways it can support both patients and providers. Digital health is transformative in streamlining services, reducing wait times, improving equity in care, and addressing physician shortages and burnout—solving today’s problems with the vision and innovation of tomorrow.
Dr. Wei Yip Chen
In 2021, we have made progress in many areas of digital health. Scout by Sutter Health™ is a digital tool launched last year that builds daily resilience for young people aged 12 to 26 who suffer from anxiety or depression. In 2021, we enhanced our digital waitlist capabilities through our online patient portal, which enabled people to see doctors an average of 14 days earlier and an average of 22 days earlier. We even integrate with HealthKit so patients can easily and securely share their health data from the Apple Health app. It really covers all areas and has more potential.
Have you noticed any difference in the number of no-shows since you increased your virtual visits?
Our mental health team has really made some good progress in terms of no-show rates. Thanks to video referrals for new patients, Sutter Health saw a drop in non-visit rates to 5-10% for both older and new patients (from 15-25%).
What experiences have you gained from patients as well as clinicians and nurses?
Consumers are now accustomed to and expect the convenience of digital health – especially for professional services such as behavioral health or chronic disease management that have shown great success and promise. We acknowledge and respect this desire.
Digital health capabilities can also simplify and optimize the work of our clinical teams. We’ve heard from them that this extra support can really make a difference, given everything they’ve faced throughout the pandemic. We’re exploring ways to help them clear the way. Our work includes redesigning online scheduling, more personalized settings in the EHR, and more secure clinical chat and image sharing options.
Do you see virtual visits as a permanent option in primary care? Are you seeing specialty nursing continue to make video visits an option?
For Sutter, the future of healthcare is a digital hybrid – in-person and digital care seamlessly integrated to further improve the quality, convenience and accessibility of patient care.
One of the silver linings of the Covid-19 pandemic is patient empowerment for virtual care. This has been achieved by temporarily easing legislative barriers, modernizing administrative policies, and broadly expanding virtual care insurance coverage, specifically enabling patients’ continuum of care teams to deliver these services. I believe our patients benefit most from integrated care services, where patients receive care virtually or in person to best meet all of their care needs. To continue the virtual care patient empowerment we’ve experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic, we need permanent legislation to enable clinicians to deliver virtual care. We also need the unwavering support of our insurance partners to deliver blended care when patients need it, where they need it, and in the most meaningful way of care that best understands their needs.
Do virtual visits play a role in Sutter Health’s behavioral health services?
Our mental health team has been able to create more access through virtual visits. Since 2021, more than 80% of outpatient behavioral health visits will move to virtual care.
What are you doing at Sutter Health to use digital health tools to improve the patient experience and improve patient outcomes?
It’s part of the beauty and value that digital health tools can work both inside and outside of care facilities. Take a bedside phone, for example. Inpatients view My Length of Stay from their personal smart device through Sutter’s online patient portal. Bedside Mobile provides an overview of patient visits in one snapshot. Information includes details about the patient’s hospital care team, lab results, medications, upcoming tests and any assigned educational materials. This helps patients and their caregivers feel more engaged, informed and supported, which can be important during these potentially uncertain times for them.
We also launched the Care Companion-Health Pregnancy app, a new mobile-based extension of our online patient portal. In contrast to books in general and a potentially information-overloaded source, our pregnant patients have a digital care companion that provides personalized weekly advice. The app’s content features topics such as maternal safety and breastfeeding. It also provides practical planning tips on sick leave and preparing to bring home with a baby. This is another example of Sutter’s commitment to providing patient-centered care to the entire family at the right time and place.
How do you decide which digital health tools to employ? What factors do you consider?
for us, Our goal is to advance our digital capabilities in a way that creates a better experience for patients and clinicians. It’s more about assessing where we can improve for our patients rather than selecting tools for novelty. We value collaboration that helps support better outcomes and experiences throughout the patient care journey. We are particularly grateful to partners who understand the unique needs and circumstances surrounding healthcare, such as enhanced patient privacy regulations and information security needs.
What are your thoughts on artificial intelligence in healthcare? Which apps have you seen particularly useful? What do you think are the limitations of this technology?
Artificial intelligence is one way we are enhancing our digital capabilities in healthcare. It can complement the work of our clinicians – improving their ability to care for patients.our cooperation iron Helps to illustrate this approach.
Their AI quality platform aims to improve the quality of medical imaging, such as CT scans, through “secondary reading.” The goal is to help detect important diagnoses like lung cancer at an early stage for faster access to care and treatment. These efforts may mean a higher likelihood of successful treatment.
We’ve also seen how artificial intelligence can help with everyday health needs. Sutter’s AI Symptom Checker is available 24/7 through our website. The checker, which includes Covid-19 symptom options, is used 60% of the time after normal business hours to help people make an informed decision about the next step of care — whether it’s an urgent care visit, a video visit or a visit to the emergency room. This type of navigation can help save time and avoid unnecessary costs—which can make a lot of sense for patients, their families, and our providers.
picture: cyano66, Getty Images
