SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carena, a leading telemedicine provider, today announced strong growth in 2015 with the launch of four new health system partnerships. These partnerships expand access to 6.3 million people through system branded virtual clinics. Carena’s partners now provide access to on-demand care, via phone, tablet or computer to a total of 13 million people.
UW Medicine in Seattle, WA; INTEGRIS Health in Oklahoma City, OK; Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI and Hospital Sisters Health System in Springfield, IL have partnered with Carena to offer virtual urgent care clinics for consumers in their markets.
“We are pleased to partner with these leading health systems that are redefining healthcare with new models and services for the way we live and work today,” said Ralph C. Derrickson, CEO of Carena. “These partnerships demonstrate how our Virtual Clinic technology can create new consumer-friendly options for receiving medical care that lowers costs and increases access to high quality care.”
Carena’s approach is to partner with health systems. The virtual clinics extend health systems’ services and build on their reputation with top quality virtual care from board-certified clinicians. They operate solely under the brand of the local provider, who target price points that are in line with, or lower than, the cost of a traditional in-person visit. Visit fees are established by the local system and can range from free to approximately $50. This model ensures convenience and affordability for the millions of patients who have access to these services. Visits via phone or internet with board-certified family medicine providers typically last 20 minutes. Common conditions treated include cold, pink eye, cold sore, rash, flu, sore throat and urinary tract infection. When asked, 97 percent of patients reported they would use the service again.
Telemedicine continues to grow as a means to provide care outside the traditional hospital and clinic settings. In 2014, there was a 315 percent increase with nearly $300 million in aggregate funding. Additionally, several states have adopted telemedicine bills that expand access to services and allow for reimbursement in a same or similar fashion to traditional care that takes place in a hospital or clinician’s office. Hospitals and health systems across the country have picked up on these trends and are adopting telemedicine programs to expand their services, reach more patients and position themselves in their markets as the leading provider.
About Carena
Carena partners with health systems to extend their services to more people through high-quality, cost-effective virtual clinics. System-branded virtual clinics allow patients to access to 24/7 on-demand care by phone, tablet or computer from local systems they know and trust. Our solutions include everything from software to staffing and operations management as well as provider education through Carena University. Carena’s team of clinicians, technologists and customer service specialists are dedicated to creating great patient experiences. Today, our partner-branded virtual clinics serve 13M patients in 12 states. For more information, please visit www.carenamd.com.
About Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin is a regional health network made up of Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee; Community Memorial Hospital in Menomonee Falls, Wis.; St. Joseph's Hospital in West Bend, Wis.; and more than 25 primary and specialty care health centers and clinics. For more information about Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin’s virtual clinic, visit virtualclinic.froedtert.com.
About Hospital Sisters Health System
Hospital Sisters Health System is a Roman Catholic healthcare mission founded to continue the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Sponsored by the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis, HSHS provides state-of-the-art healthcare framed in traditional values taught by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi. It is dedicated to serving all people, including the poor and the needy, at each of its 13 local systems in Illinois and in Wisconsin. For more information about HSHS’s virtual clinic, visit anytimecare.com.
About INTEGRIS
INTEGRIS Health is Oklahoma’s largest health system with hospitals, rehabilitation centers, physician clinics, mental health facilities, independent living centers and home health agencies located throughout much of the state. For more information about INTEGRIS’s virtual clinic, visit integrisvirtualvisit.com.
About UW Medicine
UW Medicine’s mission is to improve the health of the public by advancing medical knowledge, providing outstanding primary and specialty care to the people of the region, and preparing tomorrow’s physicians, scientists and other health professionals. For more information about UW Medicine’s virtual clinic, visit virtualclinic.uwmedicine.org.
