Healthcare Now

Now more than ever, healthcare matters.  

Patient health and well-being, and the ability to deliver secure virtual care is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. We’re at an unprecedented crossroads in healthcare in which new technologies are being adopted at a rapid pace, and the healthcare landscape is being forever altered. 

Optimizing the clinical experience, scaling virtual consultations and empowering healthcare staff to work remotely is now critical to help save lives. 

As we partner with healthcare providers worldwide to deliver quality, secure care today, we also look toward tomorrow by setting a strong foundation for future success. We’re a leader in healthcare transformation and we have the innovative solutions you need to deliver cutting-edge care. Every day, Cisco pushes the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare.   

As a result of the health crisis, we’re seeing major shifts in the delivery of care, including the transition to telehealth, rapid deployment of temporary field hospitals and clinics, increased call center volumes and remote work.  

Transition to telehealth 

To reduce physical contact between patients, clinicians and care teams, telehealth is quickly becoming the new normal. Both for primary care and for COVID-19 triage and evaluation, healthcare professionals are using Webex devices and Webex meeting and messaging platforms to securely consult with patients virtually.  

Read how one Bay Area hospital saw a recent 2000% increase in telehealth sessions 

Rapid deployment of temporary field hospitals  

To support a surge in demand for evaluation and testing while mitigating and preventing the spread of infectious disease, healthcare providers are setting up temporary, compartmentalized hospitals and clinics in mobile, pop-up and drive-through locations. By connecting these temporary locations with existing hospital and clinical spaces through Meraki or Cisco networking products, healthcare providers can maintain isolation for high acuity patients. To accelerate deployment, Cisco Customer Experience provides customers with trusted expertise. 

Learn how The National Health Service in the UK set up a 4,000 bed hospital in just one week 

Increased call center volumes 

Prior to visiting a hospital, clinic or temporary field hospital, symptomatic patients are being asked to first call a triage hotline. As a result, patients are turning to these contact center agents to answer questions about symptoms, testing and treatment advice at greater volumes than ever before.  

See how customer Mercy Virtual is answering the call for care 

Enabling remote work 

Businesses worldwide are implementing work from home mandates. But, what about clinicians and care teams in critical industries such as healthcare? We’re seeing many health systems empower both administrators and healthcare staff to work remotely when possible, arming clinicians with tools for telehealth and large-scale video broadcasts for knowledge distribution and health system-wide meetings.  

To address these use cases and to share challenges, best practices and resources to keep up with healthcare today, we’re launching a new series entitled #HealthcareNow as part of a larger #PublicSectorNow series.  

Stay tuned for more blogs from Cisco Healthcare on ways that health systems around the world are addressing healthcare today. We’re all in this together and we’re here to help.     

In times of uncertainty, one thing remains clear. There has never been a more critical time to focus on care delivery, clinical experience and healthcare innovation.

 

We’d love to hear what you think. Comment below and stay tuned for the next blog in our #HealthcareNow series.