Telehealth December 2020 Quarterly Report

MAINE MADE US Connected Telehealth Continues to Grow While most patient care has resumed in person, the Northern Light Health telehealth program continues to grow – both in services offered and in support for patients and staff. Northern Light Health has created a telehealth council, with members from across our healthcare system, who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal to make healthcare work for patients across Maine. The telehealth council is made up of three teams influencing the following: The Platform: How can we best serve our patients using telehealth? Partnership: How can we use telehealth to partner with experts and specialists in our region, such as collaborative opportunities with Massachusetts General Hospital, using telehealth to improve access for the people of Maine? Operations: How can we improve day-to-day telehealth operations for our patients? What’s New in Telehealth? � Northern Light Health providers are now able to text patients their appointment information and Zoom link. This feature is especially helpful for patients who have a hard time accessing email. � A telehealth patient support team has been hired to help patients with their telehealth set-up and device and application issues, and to help patients sign up for the patient portal. � The Telestroke program, in collaboration with Eastern Maine Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital, is providing six of our rural hospitals with access to neurologists 24/7/365 to treat and improve outcomes of patients presenting with stroke symptoms. All six hospitals have used telestroke consultation services since this program launched in August.

System Telehealth Visits

Telehealth Type - All

100,000 90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 -

Phone Video

6.89%

86,787

55,646

Visits

9,489

3,238

93.11%

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

December 2020 | Vol. 2

With the expanding use of telehealth, for many providers the experience of giving care remotely was new, but many of new users are realizing that it has specific benefits both during COVID-19 response and beyond. “I think perhaps the best part is flexibility. We’re able to address patient needs more readily without having them travel to the office. Particularly during this pandemic, it allows me to communicate with and continue to manage patients who would be at a high risk for becoming quite ill if they caught COVID-19, and we would prefer not to have them come to the office if we can avoid it,” says Lance Feller, MD, of Northern Light Rheumatology. Feller adds that about a third of the practice’s visits are happening through telemedicine right now and he anticipates that percentage can grow as more patients become accustomed to the technology.

Lance Feller, MD

In Waterville, Northern Light Inland Hospital medical staff chief Catherine Kimball, MD is finding telehealth very helpful managing her elderly patients, who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. “It has encouraged me to be creative in assessing my patients. It is challenging my assumptions about what I need to assess – and reinforcing what we know about taking a careful history and listening to the patient. Telehealth also gives me an opportunity to see a patient in a home environment, which provides insights I don’t get with an office visit.”

Kimball is finding that many of her older patients are familiar with the technology as they connect with children and grandchildren at distance.

In response to patient feedback, staff can now text Zoom appointment links to patients. The text contains the Zoom line and the appointment date and time, making it easier for patients to access their appointments using their smartphone. An email containing patient consent and other important information about their visit is still sent, with an optional texting phone number field. Alexandria Woods, patient service representative from Northern Light Mercy Gorham Primary Care, has used the text link several times and says, “It has been beneficial, especially for patients who have a harder time accessing email. The text message gets right over to them.”