St. Joseph Health System (SJHS), a $4.6 billion Catholic healthcare organization, is poised to launch a telehealth pilot project that will allow patients and physicians in disparate locations to meet and consult via immersive video using AT&T Telepresence Solution.

St. Joseph Health System will have seven interactive wellness stations designed to help improve access to specialty care, urgent care, wellness and health improvement services. The project, announced Feb. 22, is slated for rollout over the next several months at several Southern California locations, including physician and patient sites.

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The wellness stations will include a fully managed AT&T Telepresence Solution composed of components including Cisco HealthPresence, connectivity to the AT&T Business Exchange and AMD Global Telemedicine medical peripherals. The project will enable physicians and other health and wellness specialists to connect with patients virtually using the AT&T global network and real time, immersive multi-point video and audio technologies.

The goal of the pilot is to address the needs of patients who experience financial, social, geographic and other barriers to care.

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"As a Catholic healthcare system, it is our goal to extend beyond our hospital walls to provide better access to care particularly specialty care where it hasn't been as accessible before," said Elliot Sternberg, MD, executive vice president of wellness and health improvement at St. Joseph Health System.

The program involves physical modular units equipped with the telepresence hardware and software that will be stationed at the various locations. Patients and care providers will conduct virtual visits with each other from these units.

SJHS has selected five initial sites: Occupational Health Services at St. Jude Heritage Medical Group in Fullerton, Camino Health Clinic in San Juan Capistrano, St. Jude Neighborhood Clinic in Fullerton, Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach and a standalone kiosk in Rancho Cucamonga. Two additional sites are expected to be selected by year-end.