While many things about our everyday lives have changed, one thing has remained the same. Our patients who are living with some of the most complex medical conditions still need routine, top of the line care. At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, it was imperative that La Rabida remained accessible to our families. Without our services, many of our patients would have nowhere else to go for medical care. In an effort to ensure our services were still available, La Rabida introduced a new way of providing care through telehealth.

With the support of our Information Services team, La Rabida was able to seamlessly roll out our telehealth system in just a matter of days. Clinical teams worked together to determine which patients could be seen via telehealth and began working with families to reschedule upcoming in-person appointments to now be conducted virtually. Prior to the appointment, a unique link is shared with each family, allowing them to log in and virtually meet with their child’s physician. Since March, La Rabida has successfully transitioned over 70% of our outpatient appointments to telehealth video conferences.

The use of telehealth technology has allowed our clinicians and families to continue the face to face conversations they are accustomed to. Each virtual appointment provides families with an opportunity to address any concerns about their child’s health without leaving the safety of their homes. By working through treatment plans, evaluating any changes, and addressing questions, our physicians can provide the guidance and care our patients depend on.  

The implementation of telehealth appointments has allowed La Rabida to continue providing the services our children need while reassuring families that their care teams are still here and ready to support them in any way that they need.

This story was featured in the May 2020 issue of eCurrents, La Rabida's monthly newsletter. To view the May issue of eCurrents, click here.