PULASKI, N.Y. — ConnextCare says it will be implementing a new telehealth platform across all of its locations in Oswego County. The work will continue throughout the month of March. Telehealth enables a provider to see a patient remotely, regardless of their ability to physically come to the office. ConnextCare’s Pulaski office started using the […]
PULASKI, N.Y. — ConnextCare says it will be implementing a new telehealth platform across all of its locations in Oswego County.
The work will continue throughout the month of March. Telehealth enables a provider to see a patient remotely, regardless of their ability to physically come to the office.
ConnextCare’s Pulaski office started using the platform on March 2. All other sites and the school-based health centers will transition to the platform throughout the coming month.
ConnextCare will now be using its Greenway electronic medical record (EMR) to “ensure a more efficient telehealth experience for patients,” per its March 3 announcement.
The health-care provider will send patients a text message or an email on the day of their scheduled telehealth visit. The text or email will include a link to a video chat that patients can click on. They’ll be automatically connected to the telehealth virtual waiting room for admittance to their visit with the ConnextCare team.
ConnextCare says it became acutely aware of the need for telemedicine at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within days of the pandemic, the ConnextCare information-technology team was able to secure the resources and training to be able to offer this service to patients.
“As we begin to transition back to a level of normalcy in healthcare, the benefit of a telehealth connection has proven to be both effective and convenient for our patients,” said Ken Martin, director of information services at ConnextCare. “With now over one quarter of all healthcare visits being of a virtual nature, ConnextCare looked to streamline the process for both our staff and patients by adopting a single platform. The Greenway telehealth package works seamlessly with our EMR, this eliminates the need for a third party application which increases the time to create and distribute the virtual appointment.”
Since the beginning of 2020, ConnextCare has used telehealth for more than 58,000 appointments and continues to use telehealth for 85 percent of its scheduled weekly mental-health appointments.
Besides Pulaski, ConnextCare operates health centers in Central Square, Fulton, Mexico, Oswego, Parish, and Phoenix. It also operates eight school-based health centers located in APW, Mexico, Pulaski, Fulton and Sandy Creek school districts.
ConnextCare was previously known as NOCHSI, or Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc.
