Transitioning to a virtual care
platform in an existing outpatient
multi-specialty clinic
Transitioning to a virtual care platform in an existing outpatient multi-specialty clinic
Overview
An existing multi-specialty outpatient clinic in the Greater Toronto Area expanded just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic to include walk-in Family Medicine services. The clinic’s management team did not have a contingency plan for the sudden decline in patient volumes necessitated by infection control considerations during the initial phases of the pandemic.
Challenges
Revenues dropped substantially at this brick-and-mortar clinic when patients started choosing virtual-care options. Clinic management approached MDconsultants to assist with deploying a new virtual care platform for the clinic and developing protocols to ensure the provision of safe in-person care.
Value delivered
MDconsultants:
- Reviewed current COVID-19 protocols at the clinic and implemented the latest evidence-based protocols to ensure in-person care could resume safely. This included advice on screening, ventilation, and PPE use/disposal.
- Researched available turn-key virtual care offerings and provided a cost-benefit analysis of each platform based on the clinic’s needs.
- Recommended investment in an existing virtual care platform that would strategically position the clinic with a competitive advantage beyond the pandemic.
- Conducted in-situ testing of the new virtual care platform and developed new workflows to ensure minimal disruption to clinical routines while focusing on the principle of patient centered care.
- Partnered with the clinic to review their workflows monthly on a longitudinal basis. Within 3 months of implementation, the clinic surpassed pre-pandemic patient volumes and revenues.