The Utah-based nonprofit healthcare system rolled out a service where patients could remotely chat on their smartphones with doctors about basic medical problems. Another push was aimed at physicians in rural areas, offering live-streamed consulting expertise on difficult medical issues such stroke evaluation, mental health counseling and premature birth.
Intermountain officials on Wednesday announced they now are doubling down on this “virtual hospital” strategy, joining many other large hospital systems around the country in deploying technological advancements in hopes of providing easier and less expensive care.
The company currently has 35 telemedicine programs, but they are “fragmented” at medical facilities around the state, said Jim Sheets, an Intermountain vice president.