For years, Dr. Mariea Snell, a telehealth clinician at the Maven Clinic and assistant director of the Online Doctor of Nursing Practice Program at Maryville University, worked in an inner-city public health clinic. She and her colleagues were incredibly busy every day.
THE PROBLEM
Even though they were quite busy, she noticed that most of the patients who did not show for their appointment were women. The female patients struggled with many family and work responsibilities that got in the way of them being able to care for their health. Women often feel the pressure of caring for the house, children and parents, and holding down a full-time job. At times, this makes it a challenging population to engage in care.
"I have always been passionate about women's health and the unique concerns of this group," Snell said. "When feeling the frustrations in caring for them and the barriers they face to access care, I decided to explore how technology could overcome these challenges. Telehealth seemed to be a natural fit for my patients. If you have a smartphone or tablet you can access care."
PROPOSAL
After looking at several companies that offer telehealth solutions, she came across Maven Clinic in New York City. The goal of Maven Clinic is to improve access to care for women and families. It offers access to doctors, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, mental health providers and many other resources.
All of these professionals can be reached from any smartphone or tablet. As long as one has a mobile phone connection, one can text or have a video visit with a provider.
"Maven Clinic shows that using this technology, the patient feels very satisfied with their care, giving a 4.96 out of 5 for visit satisfaction."
Dr. Mariea Snell, Maven Clinic and Maryville University
"Beyond the connection with a provider, Maven Clinic also offers a robust team and community approach to care," Snell noted. "The patient can engage in more than just a patient-provider visit, but rather, an entire community of care of providers who want to improve the patients' overall physical and emotional health.
"This unique and detailed approach to care can provide a level of care and support that a traditional practice never could," she added.
MARKETPLACE
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MEETING THE CHALLENGE
When Snell started using the system to see patients, she found it very simple. She was able to put her schedule in and let patients know where they could find her online. The patients seamlessly booked appointments with her through the platform and used their phones to have a video visit with her from home. They also are able to send a secure text with health questions at any time.
"I found that women of all ages used the app to seek care," she said. "Many young women who had just gone away to college used the app because they were displaced from their usual provider. They had many new challenges being away from home, from stress and anxiety to needs for birth control.
"This system provided an easy way for them to connect with me to talk about their new life situations that they are struggling with," she continued. "Often, they just needed to talk and get reassurance. Other times they needed a prescription, but did not know how to go about getting one. Using this system, they could have an appointment with me in a discreet way and get the care they needed."
The texting feature of Maven Clinic has been particularly helpful in Snell's ability to care for her patients. Any patient on the platform can text a provider a question or concern.
"I love having this easy access for my patients," she said. "As access to all things has become so easy, why not your healthcare provider? I often have patients who will text a small concern that they just did not feel was worthy of a visit, but was still a concern for them.
"New moms will text with a development in their growing infant and want to know if it is normal, for example," she added. "As a mom myself, I know how hard it can be and how challenging the first year of motherhood is. The comfort that they feel in having this access to care is incredibly rewarding to the provider."
RESULTS
Using this technology, Snell has been able to see women of all ages from all across the U.S. She has increased access for her patients and provided flexibility in care access, which they desperately need.
"One of the major successes for me came during the pandemic," she noted. "As the world became a scary place to be and access to care became challenging, my patients could still see me and a team of other providers in a way that felt safe for them.
"Patients with COVID-19 symptoms could check in with me regularly via video visit or text to ask questions or update changes in symptom severity," she continued. "Not only did this provide added comfort to the patient, but it also decreased unnecessary ER visits. This allowed more critical patients to seek care in these high-acuity settings."
Another very impactful and rewarding experience for Snell has been in treating her patients with anxiety.
"The COVID-19 pandemic created a lot of uncertainty for a lot of people," she observed. "Using this platform, I was able to talk daily via text or video call with patients who needed reassurance. They may not need medication at all. They just need to talk to a provider who they trust.
"I would never have been able to have this access to my patients, and them to me, in my traditional practice," she added. "Using this technology has let me have a work/life balance that is unmatched. Maven Clinic shows that using this technology, the patient feels very satisfied with their care, giving a 4.96 out of 5 for visit satisfaction."
Snell said she knows this access is working for her patients, because they keep coming back and keep feeling positive about the level of care they are getting.
BEYOND THE PRACTICE
On another front, as assistant director of the doctor of nursing practice program at Maryville University in St. Louis, Snell works with faculty to develop programs of study that will create what she calls "system-level thinkers."
"These graduates will have the skills needed to impact the health and wellbeing of communities and health systems," she explained. "Telehealth is very personal to me, and a passion of mine. Leaders in advanced practice nursing education have stressed the importance of incorporating telehealth into our programs.
"Maryville is a leader in innovative education, so we jumped at the chance to provide this to our students," she continued. "We are currently doing live, simulated video visits between students and faculty in our graduate and undergraduate programs. This gives the students a feel for what this is like in practice in a safe space to learn and develop."
As Snell and colleagues have learned during the pandemic, skilled telehealth providers are needed and can create significant impacts on the health of patients. Through these experiences, Maryville graduates who complete these courses are provided with a unique skill set that will prepare them for the changing landscape of healthcare, she concluded.
Twitter: @SiwickiHealthIT
Email the writer: [email protected]
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.
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