“Our priority during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic was to ensure that the City’s public healthcare system continued to provide New Yorkers the care they needed where it was safest – at home,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care Ted Long, MD. “We were fortunate to already have a strong foundation to quickly scale up and expand these telehealth services, including other necessary services we provide our diverse patient bases, such as financial counseling and coordinated care.
Other areas of patient care and support that were successfully transitioned to virtual interactions included:
COVID-19 Hotline: NYC Health + Hospitals developed the clinical arm to NYC’s newly created 311 informational hotline dedicated to COVID-19 inquiries.
Electronic Specialty Referrals: The COVID-19 surge also accelerated NYC Health + Hospitals’ plans of expanding itseConsult system, a tool that makes it easier for primary care providers and specialists to communicate about patients.
“Given what we know about how chronic diseases and healthcare disparities increase a person’s risk of succumbing to coronavirus, it was imperative for our public health system to maintain access for our nearly 500,000 clinic patients, many of whom are particularly vulnerable,” said Janine Knud- sen, MD, Medical Director of Primary Care Transformation at NYC Health + Hospitals’ Office of Population Health.
“Our prior investments in crucial technological infrastructure, such as a unified EMR system, an online patient-portal, and text-based communications helped us stay connected and provide New Yorkers the high-quality care they needed during a deadly pandemic,” said Jen Lau, Senior Director of Primary Care Transformation at NYC Health + Hospitals’ Office of Population Health.
