Company helps hospitals, health systems, and health plans manage and mitigate coronavirus spread
BOSTON, March 3, 2020 — American Well® (Amwell), a national telehealth technology and services company, announced today that it is working with key stakeholders across healthcare to ensure telehealth is seen and used appropriately as a first line of defense to mitigate the impact and spread of COVID-19. As recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within their Preparing Communities for Potential Spread of COVID-19 action plan, leveraging telehealth tools to direct people to the right level of healthcare for their medical needs should be part of first responders’, healthcare providers’, and health systems’ response to this global outbreak.
Telehealth can serve as a force multiplier in the public health response to the COVID-19 outbreak, improving access to care directly from the home. Amwell and its associated Amwell Medical Group have been proactive from the outset to ensure care delivered across its national telehealth network conforms to national and international standards. In addition to ongoing communication and training for the thousands of doctors who deliver care on Amwell’s platform, the company has established an always-on-call infection control officer, COVID-19 specific workflows to guide clinical operations and quality, and has established a COVID-19 Readiness Team.
“Telehealth is the ideal venue for initial screening of patients with respiratory conditions that are common in COVID-19,” said Peter Antall, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Amwell. “Our board-certified telehealth providers are trained to screen patients, assign risk, answer questions, and recommend the next steps a patient should take. For most patients we can help the patient heal at home. However, when necessary, we can facilitate a “white glove” transfer for in-person care. Not only can telehealth greatly minimize the demands on in-person primary care, urgent care, and emergency departments across the country; it can also reduce unnecessary risk to patients and care teams from further exposure to this highly infectious virus.”
Amwell’s client base includes more than 240 health systems comprised of 2,000 hospitals and 55 health plan partners with over 36,000 employers. The company is in close coordination with multiple clients and public health officials on best practices, referral management protocols, as well as community outreach and engagement specific to the COVID-19 outbreak. To ensure this insight is further disseminated beyond its own network, Dr. Peter Antall and Mike Putnam, Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing at Amwell, will host a webinar on Thursday, March 5, 2020 from 12pm – 1pm EST titled “The COVID-19 Outbreak: How to Use Telehealth as a Key Element of Your Infection Control and Prevention Strategy”. You can learn more and register by visiting: http://go.americanwell.com/WBN2020-03-05Covid-19ClientWebinar_LP-Registration.html
To see a virtual doctor now, individuals can visit: https://amwell.com/ or download the Amwell app.
About Amwell
Amwell is a leading telehealth platform in the United States and globally, connecting and enabling providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver greater access to more affordable, higher quality care. Amwell believes that digital care delivery will transform healthcare. The Company offers a single, comprehensive platform to support all telehealth needs from urgent to acute and post-acute care, as well as chronic care management and healthy living. With over a decade of experience, Amwell powers telehealth solutions for over 240 health systems comprised of 2,000 hospitals and 55 health plan partners with over 36,000 employers, covering over 150 million lives. For more information please visit https://business.amwell.com/.
CONTACT:
For Amwell
Holly Spring
781-888-8219 / holly.spring@americanwell.com
