SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA, October 8, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Intermountain Healthcare, a not-for-profit health system based in Salt Lake City, Utah, today announced a partnership with telehealth technology company American Well for the creation and support of a mobile and web service that will connect patients with Intermountain providers for live, on-demand video visits over the internet.

Intermountain Connect Care is set to launch in early 2016, and will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for $49 a visit.

“Connect Care is an opportunity for Intermountain to engage with patients and provide a new option that complements traditional health care,” said Brent Wallace, MD, Intermountain’s chief medical officer. “It expands access to Intermountain’s high-quality care, allowing patients more choice and access to care, regardless of time or location. It offers medical care after regular clinic hours, on weekends, and anyplace that an internet connection is available.”

“We remain focused on supporting health system innovators by extending their service offerings through mobile and web technologies,” said Danielle Russella, president, Customer Solutions, American Well. “We share Intermountain’s vision to help patients lead healthier lives by expanding access to convenient and high-quality care.”

Connect Care users will be able to visit with Intermountain clinicians through secure interactive video from home, work, or on the go, and get medical advice and treatment for low-acuity conditions like stuffy and runny nose, sore throat, eye infections, ear ache, lower back pain, joint pain, and bronchitis.

During a Connect Care visit, a provider will review the patient’s clinical information, speak with and see the patient through HD video, prescribe medications as needed, and suggest follow-up care. Existing Intermountain patients will automatically have the visit documented in Intermountain Healthcare’s electronic medical record, allowing Intermountain caregivers and affiliated physicians to incorporate that visit into the patient’s continuum of care. Connect Care patients will also receive an e-mail record of their interaction, which they can share with other providers if they choose.

“We’ll ensure patients receive the most appropriate care for their condition,” Dr. Wallace says. “Organizations who have implemented online care services like this have been able to provide appropriate care for certain conditions for the majority of patients using the service. For some, this service may help patients confirm that they need to go visit their doctor, an urgent care clinic, or the emergency room.”

The launch of Connect Care marks the first major expansion of Intermountain’s robust TeleHealth strategy into patient homes. Eventually, Connect Care will expand to address more conditions and connect patients to primary care physicians and specialists such as dermatologists, psychiatrists, dieticians, and more.

“At the heart of this collaboration is Intermountain’s mission of helping people live the healthiest lives possible, and a strong desire to integrate online care with the continuum of care offered by Intermountain,” says Dr. Wallace.

About Intermountain

Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, a Medical Group with some 1,300 employed physicians, a health plans division called SelectHealth, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare through high quality and sustainable costs. For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.

About American Well

American Well is the most trusted telehealth services provider, having delivered healthcare into people’s homes and workplaces for close to a decade. The company serves the nation’s top health systems and health plans, more than 600 major employers and more than 25 million covered Americans. American Well’s consumer service, Amwell, connects people with board-certified doctors, dieticians, and psychotherapists for video visits via smartphone, tablet, kiosk, phone, or desktop. For more information, please visit www.americanwell.com.

Daron Cowley
Intermountain Healthcare
801-442-2834
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