Butler Health System | Health Link | Spring 2020

In 2017, Butler Health System launched a telehealth program with the goal of providing timely, convenient access to BHS specialists in our rural communities. This foundation allowed us to move quickly when faced with the need to deliver care outside of our facilities due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). We needed to keep our patients and health care professionals safe, yet continue to care for our patients. Virtual visits enabled this flexibility. Today, our primary care and specialist providers are able to offer virtual ap- pointments in our patients’ homes. Audiovisual technology allows the provider to stay connected with their patients, diagnose and treat them, refill prescrip- tions, and simply be available for our patients needing care. Medical providers make heartwarming connections Now more than ever, telehealth has provided a path for BHS staff to connect with each other, our patients and the community. “I have heard from many providers that they thought that they were only seeing a patient for their blood pressure or other medical problem but then learned of other prob- lems—that the patient was alone, their partner lost their job, they were applying for unemployment for the first time, their children were stuck far away in another state or they could not visit relatives in nursing homes,” says Cindy Esser, Director of Emerging Technologies. “There are many instances of tears shed and concerns shared, and our providers offering the best medicine—our time and empathy. Telehealth visits are not the same as seeing patients in person, but they are a bridge.” Many accomplishments and transformations have oc- curred at BHS in a short time. Implementing telehealth across the organization, within days, is just one. “It has served as a tool for us to care for our patients, for them to connect with us when they could not leave home and for us to offer reassurance that we will be there to help them along the way,” says Norman K. Beals III, MD, Chief Innovation Officer & Vice President of Ambulatory Care. “Through all of this, we have never lost sight of that, no mat- ter how we connect with our patients. It is our experience, knowledge and compassion that is important to patients, and being there for them is our priority.” Video calls bring patients and loved ones together At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, BHS leaders and the Hospital Board moved quickly to limit its spread and keep patients and staff safe. Early on, the very tough decision of prohibiting visits from family members was made to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Understanding that family support is key to healing, BHS quickly acted to fill this need by creating a group of 15 staff volunteers who go room to room to COVID-19 has brought telehealth to the forefront of patient care Virtual reality TELEHEALTH Compassionate Rounders, from left: Sandy Pipes, Susan Skiff, Sharon Marx, Amy Kredel, Trudy Homa, Carolyn Sofi, Marie Yingling, Jessi Geibel, Luellen Gall, Terri Isacco and Mindy Dunkerley. Not pictured: Terri Hagmaier, Kristen Kinkela, Amy Fields and Kayla Steffler. Norman K. Beals III, MD, Chief Innovation Officer, Vice President Ambulatory Care Cindy Esser, BSN, MHA, MBA, Director, Emerging Technologies HEALTH LINK 4 |

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