Covenant Health member facility St Mary’s Villa unveils physician-based telemedicine services provided by TripleCare. The facility now offers physician access on a 24/7 basis.
St Mary’s Villa, located in Elmhurst Township, Pa, is an elder care facility comprised of a 112-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, which also supports respite and hospice care, as well as a 64-bed independent and assisted living retirement community.
St Mary’s Villa marks the fifth Covenant member facility using TripleCare to bring virtual healthcare services to residents at times when staff physicians are not onsite. Its virtual technology enables Covenant Health’s onsite nurses to connect seamlessly with highly trained physicians to diagnose and treat residents in place, especially during evenings, weekends, and holidays. Virtual bedside consultations allow TripleCare physicians to efficiently discern if patients need to be transported or can be treated in place, according to a news release.
“TripleCare’s technology is reshaping skilled nursing care as we know it. This is especially true during evenings, weekends, and holidays when its telemedicine platform can be used to connect residents, nurses and physicians. This type of consultation helps decrease both hospital transfers and emergency room visits, reducing stress for our residents,” says Nancy Newcomb, administrator, St. Mary’s Villa, in the release.
“Keeping our residents’ best interests at heart and delivering state-of-the-art, compassionate care are our top priorities. More importantly, the families we serve feel confident when placing their loved ones in our care, particularly given our ability to now offer 24×7 physician oversight,” she adds.
“We are keenly focused on ensuring that our residents always receive high-quality and affordable care,” states Gerard J. Foley, senior vice president and president for Post-Acute Care at Covenant Health. “Since introducing TripleCare, we’ve been able to identify, diagnose, and treat conditions that otherwise would have likely resulted in a trip to the emergency room or a hospital stay,” Foley explains.
Dr Mary Jo Gorman, chief executive officer at TripleCare, adds, “Covenant is embracing new opportunities to better care for their patients by ensuring uninterrupted physician coverage, treating patients in place, and attempting to avoid hospital transfers as well as control costs. This is evidence of its commitment to patient care and its ability to successfully navigate today’s changing healthcare landscape.”
[Source(s): Covenant Health, TripleCare, Business Wire]
