Telehealth to Urgent Care

Scheduling Appointment via My Memorial App

  • Patient logs into the My Memorial app on their mobile device.
  • Patient navigates to the “Urgent Care” section and selects it.
  • The app displays virtual care visits, as well as a list of locations where they can Call Now, Get Directions, or select On My Way.
  • Patient selects virtual care “Pick a Time.”
  • The app provides a list of time slots for virtual care appointments.
  • Patients can see available appointment times for the current day. Starting at 6 p.m., appointment times appear for the next day.
  • Patient chooses a desired time slot and is prompted to select who it is for, appointment time and if they have insurance.
  • Photo uploads are enabled for insurance cards.
  • After accepting the privacy policy and terms and conditions, patient confirms the appointment.
  • The app confirms the appointment and notifies the patient that they will receive a text at the time of their visit with a link to join the meeting.

Virtual
Consultation

  • Nurse practitioner initiates the video appointment by sending a text link via Doximity to the patient, allowing them to join from their mobile device using the phone’s camera without needing a separate app.
  • Patient clicks the Doximity link, which opens a video consultation platform on their device.
  • The system performs a basic connectivity check to ensure the device camera and microphone are functioning.
  • Provider initiates the consultation, introduces themselves, and confirms the patient’s identity.
  • Provider reviews a brief overview of the patient’s medical history, as available from the EMR.
  • Provider asks about the patient’s symptoms, medical history, and concerns.
  • If needed, the provider visually assesses symptoms (e.g., rashes or swelling) using the video feed.
  • Provider determines a diagnosis or next steps, such as a prescription, testing, or referral. They notify the patient to go to an urgent care or ER if the symptoms are urgent and unable to be assessed virtually.
  • Provider summarizes the consultation and explains follow-up steps.
  • Prescriptions are sent electronically to the patient’s preferred pharmacy, or testing orders are placed in the Memorial system.

Follow-up Testing via Drive-through Labs (If Required)

  • Patient receives instructions via text or email about visiting a designated lab location for testing (e.g., Sixth Street, Springfield Wellness Center).
  • The instructions include the lab’s hours of operation, address, and a reminder to bring identification.
  • Upon arrival at the drive-through lab, the patient checks in by providing their name and details of the lab order.
  • Lab staff confirm the patient’s identity and order in the system.
  • Patient remains in their vehicle while lab staff collect the necessary samples (e.g., nasal swabs, blood draws).
  • Lab staff confirm that the sample collection is complete and provide any additional instructions.
  • Patient departs the lab, and the samples are sent for processing.

Post-appointment
Communication

  • If test results indicate further action is needed, the provider contacts the patient directly to discuss options.
  • This may involve scheduling a follow-up virtual consultation, arranging an in-person visit, or modifying treatment plans.
  • Patient receives a follow-up survey via email to rate their virtual care experience.
  • This feedback is reviewed internally to identify areas for improvement.
  • Test results are sent via a chatbot and email based on information available on file. If settings are enabled, patient portals will also push notifications when results are available.
View Technology Map

Step

Technology/Touchpoints
Scheduling Appointment via My Memorial App
  • My Memorial App
  • Doximity
  • MPS Tracker
Virtual
Consultation
  • Doximity
  • Cerner PowerChart
  • Mobile Device
Follow-up Testing via Drive-through Labs (If Required)
  • Cerner HealtheLife Portal
  • Lab Information System (LIS)
Post-appointment
Communication
  • FollowMyHealth®
  • Cerner HealtheLife
  • Messaging/Communication System
  • Survey Tool
  • Chatbot
  • Secure Email System

Step

Pain Points
Scheduling Appointment via My Memorial App
  • The app requires patients to set up a profile before accessing services, which some find confusing or difficult to complete. A lack of streamlined onboarding for new users adds a barrier to efficiently accessing telehealth services.
  • Patients and staff lack knowledge about which services can be effectively provided through telehealth.
  • A lack of awareness and adoption among virtual care services makes wait times at urgent care facilities longer than necessary.
  • Not all PCPs offer telehealth options, which limits access to patients across a variety of care scenarios. Reimbursement for telehealth services also complicates adoption among providers.
  • The primary navigation does not show virtual care options, so patients do not know it is available until navigating to urgent care.
  • The My Memorial app is not optimized for modern telehealth demands.
  • Appointment requests submitted via the My Memorial app must be manually processed by staff using a tracker system.
  • The My Memorial app lacks integration with other key systems, such as Cerner, to streamline patient information updates and previsit preparation.
  • The My Memorial app does not include functionality to prescreen patients for telehealth appropriateness.
Virtual
Consultation
  • Urgent care and virtual care volumes are unpredictable, making staffing structure challenging during peak times.
  • Cerner PowerChart and Doximity are not integrated during virtual consultations.
  • If a patient is unable to attend the virtual appointment, they cannot cancel within the app and must call to cancel.
  • Internet connectivity or app access issues can cause delays, interruptions, or the inability to complete a virtual appointment.
Follow-up Testing via Drive-through Labs (If Required)
  • Test orders placed by providers are manually processed and communicated to the drive-through labs.
  • Testing systems at the labs operate independently from the My Memorial app and Cerner, requiring manual data entry.
  • The lab testing workflow is not fully digitized, and there are inconsistencies in how patient information is managed during follow-ups.
  • The system does not streamline insurance verification for follow-up testing, requiring staff to handle this manually.
Post-appointment
Communication
  • Providers rely on manual follow-ups for abnormal test results or additional instructions.
  • Patients must navigate multiple portals (HealtheLife Portal and FollowMyHealth) to access their records.
  • Patients cannot view all test results or follow-up instructions directly in the My Memorial app.
  • Not all My Memorial app virtual care patients have a portal set up to access all their information.
  • Patients can receive up to four different notifications for a single test result.
  • If a patient does not have the correct phone number or email on file, they will not be notified of their results.

Step

Thinking

Feeling

Quotes
Scheduling Appointment via My Memorial App

“Can they even help me with this online? I don’t know if my issue is appropriate for telehealth. Is it worth my time to try?”

“My doctor doesn’t offer this? I wish I could just do a quick virtual check-up with someone I know.”
“I didn’t even know telehealth was an option! Why isn’t this more obvious?”

Frustrated
Uncertain

“Our own teams don’t know about all these tools. I feel like we’re missing the easy part.”

“I’d like to see our volumes go up in virtual care … There’s a lot of these patients that we could see via virtual care and save them time in the waiting room.”

“I think future state, if payment, everything stays the same. And we start onboarding new physicians, we can start helping them incorporate this more into their practice.”

“We’ve got five patient portals probably and you think about all the areas we cover … they’re two, totally different portals. And then you go see urgent care in Springfield, it’s just very disjointed.”

“It’s not one point of entry for everything, and that’s what people want, they want convenience. People that are going to use it want it in one place.”
Virtual
Consultation

“Seriously? I have to call to cancel? Why can’t I just do it in the app?”

“This was convenient. I’m glad I didn’t have to go in person.”

Uncertain

Satisfied

“Some providers don’t want to do it, some do want to do it.”

“So it’s also changing that older generation to realize that some things can be handled via telehealth and provide the same quality of care.”

“It is only one provider a day right now. So we’re not seeing more than 30 patients unless it’s those busy times and we have people that volunteer to hop on and see more.”

“I’d love to have two or three people there every day, staffing it, and double and triple it in the years to come.”
Follow-up Testing via Drive-through Labs (If Required)

“I wonder how long this is going to take.”

“OK, they’ve got my information. Now for the actual test. I wonder if it’s going to hurt.”

“That’s done. Thank goodness. What are the next steps? When will I get my results? Do I need to do anything else?”

Anxious

Accomplished

Anticipatory

“It’s so much easier to do it from your couch, then just go through the drive-thru and get a swab and get your results.”

“We do a really terrible job promoting it and getting it out there too. Even to our own colleagues.”
Post-appointment
Communication

“Where do I go to get all my results?”

“Oh no, I was hoping everything would be fine. What does this mean? What are my options? I hope it’s nothing serious.”

“OK, so I can do another virtual visit or come in person. What makes the most sense and is the least disruptive?”

Uncertain

Anxious

“We do still follow up with everybody and let them know, but a lot of times they’re getting the results on their drive back home.”

“So our telehealth providers are the ones that are calling the ones that have to have a follow-up now, for the send-off labs or questions that come back in.”

“If we send out all these communications… who follows up with it and takes it from there? We don’t have a good system in place right now.”

Step

Opportunities
Scheduling Appointment via My Memorial App
  • Display visually engaging posters in waiting rooms to promote telehealth options for follow-up appointments and create additional marketing efforts to promote telehealth-first opportunities.
  • Launch an internal campaign to educate staff about telehealth benefits.
  • Appoint a telehealth ambassador in each clinic to promote adoption among patients and staff.
  • Add a dedicated section on telehealth during employee benefits orientations to increase staff utilization of the services.
  • Create a simple FAQ document to address common telehealth and portal-related queries.
  •  Implement a basic questionnaire in the My Memorial app to ensure patients are booking appropriate virtual consultations.
  • Integrate real-time availability into the My Memorial app for virtual consultations.
  • Upgrade the My Memorial app to handle all aspects of appointment management, including confirmation and rescheduling.
  • Develop AI-driven symptom triage tools within the My Memorial app to guide patients to the appropriate care setting and provide preliminary diagnoses.
  • Launch comprehensive patient-education campaigns to increase awareness and understanding of telehealth services, eligibility and benefits.
Virtual
Consultation
  • Add an appointment reminder, sent ahead of the appointment, with simple instructions on what the patient should expect.
  • Create a standardized text template for sending Doximity links to patients, including appointment details and troubleshooting tips.
  • Broaden the scope of virtual care to include chronic disease management, specialty care, and preventive services.
  • Establish dedicated virtual care hubs to manage telehealth operations, staffed with specialized teams trained to provide high-quality virtual consultations.
  • Integrate tools like TytoCare into the virtual consultation process.
  • Fully integrate Cerner PowerChart with the Doximity telehealth platform.
  • Integrate advanced symptom-checking algorithms into the app to guide patients toward the appropriate type of care.
  • Leverage predictive modeling to determine high-volume windows where additional providers can be “on call” to support increased demand.
  • Add appointment availability for the next day and/or three days out sooner, allowing patients to schedule in advance. Enable easy appointment cancellation if the issue resolves before the appointment.
Follow-up Testing via Drive-through Labs (If Required)
  • Implement a barcode or QR-code system linked to the My Memorial app that allows patients to quickly verify their identity at drive-through labs.
  • Ensure patients automatically receive clear, standardized instructions for drive-through lab visits after a consultation.
  • Develop a fully integrated system for managing lab orders from virtual consultations to testing.
  • Implement geofencing technology to streamline patient check-ins at drive-through labs.
  • Enable real-time updates of test results directly in the My Memorial app.
  • Introduce additional services, like vaccinations or chronic condition management, at drive-through locations.
  • Automate all manual processes across the virtual care workflow, from appointment scheduling to follow-up test tracking, using robotic process automation (RPA) and workflow management tools.
  • Explore opportunities for drive-through lab location information and/or scheduling to be available within the My Memorial app.
Post-appointment
Communication
  • Introduce AI-driven follow-up bots to monitor post-appointment progress and flag potential issues.
  • Incorporate educational tools in the app to provide patients with personalized information about their conditions and next steps.
  • Partner with third-party tools, like wearable health devices, to integrate additional patient data into post-appointment care.
  • Redesign the digital patient experience to provide a seamless journey across telehealth, in-person care, and follow-ups.
  • Explore opportunities for a patient to reconfirm their information within the lab workflow to help ensure access to their results.
  • Leverage the lab test workflow as an opportunity to educate patients on portals and encourage registration.
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