Chicago-based Rush University’s health system has announced it will begin offering subscriptions to its virtual care services nationwide.
The integrated suite of personalized telemedicine services leverages the health system's clinical expertise, the Rush University System for Health said in an announcement about its expanded telehealth subscription services on Thursday.
WHY IT MATTERS
Rush's new virtual care membership platform includes remote primary and urgent care services along with a new My Rush mobile app and chatbot support that features health screening reminders, real-time wait time alerts for in-person appointments and post-visit text messaging.
It's a "concierge-level" care navigation experience, according to Dr. Paul Casey, Rush's senior vice president and chief medical officer.
Of note, the new Rush Connect+ platform, with services available to patients nationwide, offers same-day or next-day virtual specialty care for a range of health conditions, including sexual health and weight loss, the health system said.
The My Rush app integrates MyChart portal features with access to appointment scheduling, care team messaging and an artificial intelligence-powered assistant that patients can query at any time.
Rush Connect's digital care memberships also provide direct access to human assistants seven days a week via live chat or phone.
"There are many options for virtual care these days, but none is as comprehensive or connected into the fabric of the top-quality health system as what we have created on our Rush Connect platform," Casey said in the statement. "Rush Connect+ is a natural extension of that platform."
THE LARGER TREND
Rush has a history of improving clinical care and patient experiences and helping to address difficult staffing challenges with digital tools.
Rush University Medical Center, which was one of the first providers in the U.S. to offer web-based house calls for primary care, reduced the strain of avoidable readmissions and emergency department recidivism during COVID-19 with digital inpatient engagement tools.
As a result, RUMC increased pandemic-era rounds by 247%.
The tools also gave clinicians the flexibility to customize their care interactions based on the specific and unique needs of each patient, according to Kathleen Egan, RUMC's director of care transitions.
"We discovered patients were misinformed about their plan of care, prescriptions and availability of telehealth options," she said then. "We reached more than three-quarters of our patients and triaged those who expressed concerns to our dedicated nursing team for further consultation, symptom management and patient education."
ON THE RECORD
"However patients choose to seek care, we want them to have a seamless experience and know that they are receiving Rush-quality care in every setting," Casey said in a statement.
Andrea Fox is senior editor of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
