“These specialties had major staffing shortages — not just at UnityPoint Health, but nationwide,” Stephanie Johnson, MHA, executive director of system virtual care for UnityPoint Health, told Becker’s. “There simply aren’t enough psychiatrists to meet demand.”
So the system launched a virtual program that brought care to the patient on demand. The program provides the emergency department with virtual psychiatrists at seven hospitals. Currently, the system averages over 400 behavioral health consults per month.
“Timely intervention is critical for quality care, and having on-demand access to a provider has been extremely beneficial,” Ms. Johnson said. “We just don’t have the in-house capacity to handle that workload alone.”
One of the benefits of virtual specialty care is quick turnaround times, even among high volumes. One hospital saw an 11.8-hour decrease in the average length of stay for behavioral health patients and a 281% return on investment after implementing virtual behavioral healthcare.
They have also reduced contract labor costs and found it easier to recruit physicians to the role.
“Removing geographic barriers allows us to recruit from a nationwide talent pool, which has been a huge advantage, particularly for rural locations that are difficult to staff,” she said.
All virtual staff go through training for “website manner,” which helps the providers create that human connection with patients through the screen. This has helped improve patient experience for virtual care.
