Illinois Medicine

telehealth she says. For COVID-19 patients who have been discharged, the follow-up care has created new protocols, workflows and education for patients and staff. It also has funneled dozens of patients to community resources to help them with housing and food or water insecurity, Prendergast notes. True to the medical center's mission, the work being done by the COVID+ Outreach Project has "strengthened our community partnerships and our engagement with community resources to help address issues around social determinants of health," she adds. During the early weeks, it became apparent that sending tests offsite to be read was taking too long, Jones says. To answer the demand, the department of pathology began providing an accurate point-of-care test on April 24 with a turnaround time of 15 minutes and a polymerase chain reaction test that delivers results in 24 to 48 hours. According to Jones, testing capacity was prioritized for patients who came through the emergency department or were admitted to the hospital. In addition, medical center faculty and staff who present symptoms or are exposed to patients with COVID-19 receive same-day or next-day testing. "Having dedicated testing sites allows for research studies and testing validation to be done in small areas with minimal faculty and staff to train," Jones says. "And continuous collaboration between incident command, infection prevention and ambulatory care services allows for improved communication." As of January 29, UI Health had tested nearly 95,000 people and treated 1,555 patients. "Quick, accurate testing is crucial to recommending treatment options and decreasing the disease spread," Jones said. Bringing telehealth online WHILE THE MEDICAL STAFF WAS RESPONDING to the surge in cases, the leadership team recognized early on that patient contact needed to be minimized until more was known about COVID-19's infection rate and spread. "Given that we usually have very full waiting rooms and already had PPE limitations, we looked to our telehealth program as the best way to minimize exposure to both in- and outpatients and staff," says Chief Ambulatory Medical Officer Jonathan Radosta, MD. The necessity of patients managing their chronic diseases— diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma—doesn't stop during a pandemic. Radosta, associate professor of clinical medicine and assistant dean for clinical affairs in the COM, notes that it's critical for patients to get the care they need in a way that makes them feel safe. From a patient's perspective, during a pandemic, it's preferable to see their doctor from the comfort of their own living room or kitchen table rather than taking public transportation to a clinic and spending half a day in waiting and exam rooms— especially when they are sick. Telemedicine also gives them one- on-one time with their doctor, without interruptions. The expansion of telehealth options at UI Health has given patients the option to manage their chronic diseases and otherwise seek care in a way that's COVID-safe but still provides plenty of face time with their care providers. " " The daily briefings not only kept staff abreast of developing information … but also aligned efforts and helped allay fears and anxiety. Janet Lin, MD, MPH, MBA chair of the emergency management committee 22 | Spring 2021

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