KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Virtual care responsibilities are assigned to nurse practitioners who already work at one of the system's 23 Walgreens clinic locations.
- No insurance claims are filed, reducing workload and administrative responsibilities.
- The $25 price point enables SSM to provide affordable care to more people, while drawing more patients into the system.
- Preliminary online questionnaire documents patient's history and symptoms, reducing providers' time on calls.
During an era when many health systems are exploring the best way to offer urgent care telehealth services, SSM Health has taken a low-cost, high-efficiency approach that dovetails with services offered through its Health Express Clinics at Walgreens.
The St. Louis–based non-profit health system's virtual visit program only charges $25 per call, doesn't file insurance, and limits service hours. One differentiating factor that boosts provider productivity: patients complete an online questionnaire that guides them through their history and symptoms before a nurse practitioner, who also works at the retail clinics, initiates the virtual visit.