Acute-care-telemedicine technology and services vendor SOC Telemed and clinical practice management company SCP Health have announced a partnership to deliver scalable, flexible emergency and hospital medicine services via telemedicine.

WHY IT MATTERS

SCP Health will conduct rapid-cycle deployments of SOC Telemed’s IQ platform in multiple SCP Health emergency- and hospital-medicine programs. The services are staffed by SCP Health clinicians and will enable surge coverage needs during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

SCP Health operates in 33 states and more than 400 facilities. By partnering with SOC Telemed, SCP Health now can augment emergency- and hospital-medicine capacity via telemedicine – a critical capability for hospitals embattled with the rapid spread of COVID-19.

As hospitals around America fill and become overwhelmed, this partnership is designed to deliver vital provider resources to aid the current overworked system. Additional benefits include stemming the spread of disease, as well as shifting physicians to remote triage should they become compromised and require quarantine.

ON THE RECORD

“Our organizational partnership has been a priority for some time; together SCP and SOC can provide telemedicine services around the country, on-demand,” said Hai Tran, COO of SOC Telemed. “But with the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the subsequent need for virtual care, we’re operating on an accelerated timeline. By partnering with SCP Health, our two organizations can rapidly deploy the people and technology needed on the front lines of the fight against coronavirus today and stand ready for the medical challenges of tomorrow.”

“Delivering health in all its many forms – from servicing patients to leading innovation with our hospital partners – is in keeping with SCP’s mission,” added Lisa Fry, chief growth officer at SCP Health. “The SOC telemedicine platform connects our emergency and hospital medicine providers seamlessly with patients, especially critical now on the COVID-19 healthcare battlefield.”

THE LARGER TREND

Telemedicine is taking center stage during the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, where healthcare at a distance is profoundly needed.

In an effort to fight the spread of the virus, the HHS Office for Civil Rights announced that during the coronavirus pandemic it would use discretion when enforcing HIPAA compliance for telehealth communications tools.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has expanded Medicare telehealth benefits, which the CMS says would enable beneficiaries to get telehealth services in physician’s offices, hospitals, nursing homes, rural health clinics and their homes.

On another front, Healthcare IT News has compiled a listing of telemedicine vendors in the age of COVID-19, a resource for health IT leaders.

Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: bill.siwicki@himssmedia.com
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.