Horizon Health gains operational ROI from EHR and telehealth integration

Horizon Health Services, a behavioral health provider in New York, deployed telemedicine technology in November 2019 with the goal of meeting patient demands and the ever-changing world of technology. Then came COVID-19. This brought a boom in the use of telehealth for Horizon and the world.

Problem

In the year since COVID-19 arrived, healthcare has changed. Telehealth technologies became part of the clinical care delivery model. And Horizon’s telehealth maturity evolved. Operations changed.

“As a result, we needed to implement a more integrated telehealth solution that would streamline employee workflows and simplify the patient experience,” explained Jake Hacker, CIO, Horizon Health Services. “We needed access to a true platform that integrated with our Oracle Cerner Millennium EHR, improved communication with patients, and removed the requirements for a mobile app requiring a username and password.”

Proposal

In 2019, Horizon deployed telemedicine technology from vendor Amwell. Already having that relationship, Horizon was able to identify known problems and opportunities, brainstorm and develop answers.

“It quickly became clear that Amwell’s Converge platform would provide a robust solution for Horizon, which already has a long-standing partnership with Oracle Cerner,” Hacker said.

He added, “In addition to the newly developed solution, the vendor offered speed to market and implementation, as the system was already code-certified within Oracle Cerner’s App Gallery.” “This unique offering allows Horizon to accelerate the go-live migration process.”

“We have reduced the overall waiting time for appointments by up to 40% by introducing virtual visits through the new platform.”

Jake Hacker, Horizon Health Services

Within two and a half months of moving to its new EHR, Horizon integrated the Converge Telehealth system into its clinical charts, providing counselors, doctors and other users a one-stop shop for all clinical care, Hacker said.

marketplace

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meet the challenge

With EHR integration of telemedicine, all patient appointments are now in one system. All steps from the initial phone call, scheduling, telehealth visit, clinical documentation, and billing are all part of the EHR workflow.

“Staff will no longer have to duplicate labor efforts with EHR as well as scheduling in standalone legacy telehealth systems, or go to another screen to log in to see a patient,” Hacker said. “All workflows for that patient encounter are consolidated into a ‘single solution’ context. Currently, our clinical staff serves approximately 50% of our patients via telehealth, and patient surveys have shown very high satisfaction rates through this medium.

“Additionally, from a patient experience perspective, patients no longer need to register for a user account, remember their password, or actively log into the system prior to the time of visit,” he added. “The convergence integration enabled text or email at the time of visit with a secure link that allowed the patient to simply click to join. This new workflow significantly improved the patient experience and reduced associated technical support tickets by 50%.

Result

After switching to Converge, Horizon Health Services saw a significant reduction in staffing burden associated with scheduling, telehealth visits, clinical documentation and billing.

“Previously, these were all addressed in separate programs, so there was a lot of duplicate work for employees,” Hacker said. “Now that all clinical and operational workflows are within our EHR, staff have far less administrative work and can focus on patient care.

“With Converge, we were also able to expand the tele-portability of residents and now support services in two underserved rural areas in New York,” he added. “We support nearly 900 new patients – and counting – in these disadvantaged areas that have historically had limited access to behavioral health and substance use disorder care.”

Horizon also provided a much faster and more satisfying patient experience.

“By enabling a simple, single-click access process, patients no longer have to provide and remember usernames and passwords, making it much easier for them to start their appointments,” Hacker explained. “Horizon has also dramatically reduced wait times to accommodate appointments.

He added, “The availability of in-person or virtual visits allows us to test cases and adjust initial patient appointments within the same business day as needed.” “Earlier, the average waiting time for an initial appointment was 5.25 days. Similarly, we have reduced the overall waiting time for appointments by 40% by introducing virtual visits through the new platform.

use prize money

Horizon Health Services was accepted into the FCC Connected Care Pilot Program, which covers 85% of the eligible cost of broadband connectivity, network equipment and information services needed to provide connected care services to patient populations. Horizon used that funding to purchase Amwell Converge telehealth technology.

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