Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital
Embracing Telehealth for Urgent and Chronic Issues
It’s 4 a.m. and a single father wakes up with severe stomach pain. He can’t leave his young children alone, and COVID-19 has him hesitant to visit an emergency room.
The solution? He opens his computer and pulls up “KSB Care Anywhere,” a web app from Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital (KSB). The app was designed for patients with more urgent concerns—ranging from COVID-19 to shingles—as opposed to chronic conditions.
The process is simple:
- The patient completes a screening questionnaire.
- A KSB clinician reviews the patient’s symptoms, then provides a diagnosis, treatment plan and educational materials.
“We have a lot of patients canceling their regular appointments out of fear,” said Aaqil Khan, KSB’s corporate health services manager. “KSB is still a safe and clean place to visit, but if they are still afraid to come in, we can do the visit via telehealth.”
Among patients using the app, up to 80% of diagnoses are handled virtually with no need for an in-person visit or a trip to urgent care. For conditions that require regular monitoring, like diabetes or hypertension, KSB uses a video platform called Doxy for scheduled discussions, counseling and care coordination.
“We leverage [these services] so that the patient gets the right care, at the right place, at the right time,” Khan said.