St. Vincent's Medical Center Launches MYvirtualcare.com Telemedicine Service

BRIDGEPORT, Conn., June 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Vincent's Medical Center, a member of Ascension, the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, is making it easier for patients to receive care for common health conditions with the launch of MYvirtualcare.com – an online diagnosis and treatment service powered by Zipnosis that connects patients with St. Vincent's clinicians. With MYvirtualcare.com patients can now receive prompt care for conditions such as sinus infections, female bladder infections, pink eye, or colds, coughs, and the flu – for a set fee of $35, less than the cost of many insurance co-pays.

"With MYvirtualcare.com, patients can skip the trip to the doctor's office and still get the care they need, when and how they need it," said Dianne Auger, Senior Vice president, Chief Strategy Officer, St. Vincent's Medical Center. "We are excited to be at the leading edge of this new technology, which is taking healthcare beyond bricks and mortar and into the virtual realm."

Patients begin a virtual visit at MYvirtualcare.com by completing an online adaptive interview that adheres to the latest evidence-based medical guidelines and is similar to what they would experience in a face-to-face visit. The patient's medical history and symptoms are then forwarded to a St. Vincent's provider for review and diagnosis. When the diagnosis and treatment plan are complete, typically within one hour, the patient receives a text or email alert. If a prescription is appropriate, MYvirtualcare.com allows the provider to send the prescription electronically to the pharmacy of the patient's choice. If the clinician determines that the patient's symptoms require a face-to-face visit, St. Vincent's staff will help the patient to book that appointment, as well.

St. Vincent's clinicians are available for virtual diagnosis seven days a week from 8:30 am to 10:00 pm. Patients may access MYvirtualcare.com 24/7 via computer, smartphone or other Web-enabled device, and off-hour visits will be reviewed and followed up on within one hour of opening the next day.

"At St. Vincent's, we are keenly aware of the fact that healthcare delivery must address multi-generational needs. MYvirtualcare.com has proven to be a welcome alternative for patients," explained Frank Scifo, MD, medical director, St. Vincent's MultiSpecialty Group. "Not only have patients found it convenient and easy to navigate, they appreciate the relatively low cost for this care. It has enhanced both the patient and provider experience because care is available when physician offices or convenient care sites are closed or may not be easily accessible."

The virtual care platform was developed by Zipnosis – a Minnesota-based company that partners with health care systems to provide the technology and methodology to launch a service, meeting the needs of patients while also enhancing their internal processes.

"By launching MYvirtualcare.com, St. Vincent's is improving clinical care one click at a time by making it easy for patients and healthcare providers to connect online without sacrificing quality," said Jon Pearce, co-founder and CEO of Zipnosis. "We look forward to working with St. Vincent's to meet the ever-changing needs of their patients and clinicians."

ABOUT ST. VINCENT'S MEDICAL CENTER
Founded by the Daughters of Charity in 1903, St. Vincent's Medical Center is a mission-driven organization committed to exceptional health care for all with special attention to persons living in poverty and those who are most vulnerable. St. Vincent's Medical Center is a member of Ascension, the nation's largest Catholic and non-profit healthcare system, and is at the forefront in patient safety and quality, with a focus on creating holistic, compassionate environments. St. Vincent's has been ranked as a Best Hospital in Fairfield County and in all of Western Connecticut for 2013-2016 by U.S. News & World Report in its annual "Best Hospitals" survey and was awarded the Nursing Magnet® Recognition, the highest national award for nursing excellence. In 2013 St. Vincent's Medical Center was named Top Performer on Key Quality Measures® by the Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in America, and has been recognized by both the Joint Commission and OSHA as a model of a highly reliable organization dedicated to patient safety. The American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer awarded St. Vincent's an Outstanding Achievement Award with Accreditation in 2012, and it also has earned its designation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Cancer. For more information on programs and services, visit http://www.stvincents.org/.

ABOUT ASCENSION
Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world's largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2015, Ascension provided nearly $2 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Approximately 160,000 associates and 36,000 aligned providers serve in 2,500 sites of care – including 142 hospitals and more than 30 senior living facilities – in 24 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to healthcare delivery, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension's own group purchasing organization.

ABOUT ZIPNOSIS
Zipnosis provides health systems with a white‐labeled, fully integrated virtual care platform. Using our powerful, tech‐enabled treatment and triage tools, our clients can offer ultra‐convenient access to care while dramatically improving clinician efficiency. Patients may be treated for more than 90 conditions using our pioneering adaptive interview, triaged directly into a phone or video encounter, or visit a clinic for faster service using our ZipTicket® boarding pass. Based in Minnesota, Zipnosis has more than seven years of expertise and data to help partners rapidly launch and scale a market‐leading virtual care solution. For more information, visit www.zipnosis.com.

Media Contacts:
Caryn S. Kaufman 
(203) 576-6393 
cell: (646) 765-6006
[email protected]  

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160607/376812LOGO

SOURCE Zipnosis

Related Links

http://www.zipnosis.com