ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic health record (EHR) companies are partnering with DrFirst to make telehealth available to healthcare providers throughout the U.S. Within the past 30 days, 38 EHRs, representing over 100,000 providers, have partnered with DrFirst to provide its award-winning Backline for telehealth services to clients of their electronic medical record (EMR) systems in physician practices, dental offices, emergency departments, urgent care, behavioral health, and long-term care facilities. DrFirst is a pioneer in healthcare technology, support, and services that connect people at touchpoints of patient care, and its solutions are used by nearly half of the EHRs in the U.S.
“Healthcare is a team effort, especially for patients with multiple and complex conditions,” said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. “Using Backline for telehealth helps physicians stay connected with patients and collaborating clinicians to provide ‘healthcare without walls.’” Connecting the healthcare team is extremely important at all times, noted Deemer, adding that during the pandemic, “for patients with one or more chronic conditions, talking with their doctors by telehealth or secure chat can be a lifesaver.”
Backline for telehealth is used by more than 1,300 organizations and growing, with an exponential increase in usage, including well over two million minutes of telehealth visits in the past month.
Backline allows clinicians to quickly extend patient care beyond the traditional doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital. Patients click a link sent to their mobile phone, tablet, or computer; they do not need to download an app, access a patient portal, or undergo a cumbersome registration process. With Backline’s numerous and adaptable features, including secure chat and telehealth, e-signatures, document sharing, and more, providers can connect with each other and with patients from any location at any time to improve care coordination and outcomes.
eMDs currently partners with DrFirst to improve medication adherence and prescribing of controlled substances, and is now offering Backline to its clients, nationwide. “We are expanding our partnership with DrFirst to offer our clients Backline for telehealth, so they can continue to collaborate with care teams and treat patients from a safe distance,” said Patrick Hall, executive vice president of business development and marketing. “DrFirst’s flexible integration options and customized sales and marketing programs made the launch and rollout of telehealth streamlined, effective, and easy on us.”
T-System is partnering with DrFirst to offer Backline to its clients, which represent 26% of hospital-based emergency departments, freestanding emergency centers, and urgent care centers in the U.S. “Telehealth is a critical component of our healthcare clients’ response to COVID-19,” stated Robert Hitchcock, M.D., FACEP, executive vice president and general manager for T-System Inc. “Our partnership with DrFirst provides clients a proven, quickly deployable solution during the healthcare crisis and beyond.”
Congress, federal agencies, and private insurance companies have acknowledged telehealth’s critical role in managing the novel coronavirus pandemic, and are supporting its expanded use. In addition to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19, it enables quarantined clinicians to keep treating patients, as long as they are well enough to do so, to help maximize healthcare provider capacity and ensure that patients with chronic conditions adhere to treatment plans.
As a full care collaboration platform, Backline supports team-based care that goes beyond a single encounter, which is especially helpful when treating patients with complex acute and chronic conditions. Whether in a hospital, ambulatory setting, or long-term care facility, patient care typically involves different healthcare providers, such as specialists, nurses, technicians, therapists, and pharmacists, all of whom must share information with each other and the patient. Backline allows the team to communicate securely with patient-centered group chats.
View a Backline telehealth demo here.
About DrFirst
Since 2000, DrFirst has pioneered healthcare technology solutions and consulting services that securely connect people at touchpoints of care to improve patient outcomes. We create unconventional solutions that solve care collaboration, medication management, price transparency, and adherence challenges faced in healthcare. We unite the Healthiverse—the interconnected healthcare universe—by providing our clients with real-time access to the information they need, exactly when and how they need it, so patients get the best care possible. DrFirst solutions are used by nearly 300,000 healthcare professionals, including more than 100,000 prescribers, nearly half of the EHRs in the U.S., and more than 1,400 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more, visit DrFirst.com.
