Ahead of HIMSS19, Teladoc Health has launched two new features for health system customers: Clinical WorkScope, which allows hospitals to virtualize their existing workflows, fee structures, and referral networks; and Integrated Diagnostic Testing, which makes it easier for physicians to order imaging and lab tests in virtual visits.

“The status quo right now for most vendors is a minor medical visit is $50. And there’s a pool of patients in there and any provider will do,” Dr. Alan Roga, Teladoc Health’s president of hospitals and health systems, told MobiHealthNews. “... Everything is very uniform, consumer-focused, not configurable, and is not the way health systems really operate.”

Instead, Clinical WorkScope is highly configurable, allowing doctors to work with patients and each other in the ways they’re accustomed to while still doing as much as possible via video.

“What Workscope does is it allows you to route patients to specific practices, set up different service lines, have different fee structures, have different service types,” Roga said. “[For instance,] post-surgical oncology patients are all going to be schedule visits at $45 a visit.”

Health systems can still use Teladoc’s stable of doctors for emergency or acute care, for example, while making sure that a patient who sets up a primary care appointment always sees their own physician. If that physician needs to refer them to a specialist, they can choose a particular one.

The diagnostic testing feature allows a clinician to order lab tests from national lab systems like Quest or LabCorp or from the hospital’s own in-house labs, or to order imaging tests at the hospital.

“If the physician at the hospital wants to order a strep test, order a blood count, order an X-Ray, they’re able to do that,” Roga said. “A patient will go to a physical location to get that work done, but then go back to the platform for follow-up. So they actually don’t have to go to a clinician’s office unless directed.”

Finally, the integrated system also provides more data and analytics for the health system, which can analyze different clinicians’ outcomes against their prescribing and referring behavior to figure out best practices.

“This is an evolution towards providing great outcomes and great experiences in care,” Roga said. “… We are a singular platform company with multiple solutions, and this happens to be our health system solution. But interestingly enough, what we’re seeing from the market is now an uptake in the health system space, and this is one of the fastest growing segments of the company. They are now looking to … get to that consumer digital health experience.”

Teladoc Health will be in booth 6579 at HIMSS19.