A Modern Version of an Old-Fashioned House Call

When you’re sick, wouldn’t it be great if you could talk to a healthcare provider on video, so they could check your vitals and chat about your symptoms? Without having to drive to a clinic? That’s a reality for Mercy Virtual’s customers, thanks to our partner World Wide Technology (WWT).

WWT says…

Our customer Mercy Virtual wanted to reach more patients wherever they were… usually at home. To bring them care that could keep them healthy, independent, and out of the hospital. Mercy asked us if we could build the technology to make it happen.

Many of these patients are elderly, so the virtual care had to be easy to use. Patients shouldn’t see anything except a seamless way to get what they need. But to give them that experience, the technology needed to be cutting edge.

We had to approach each technical challenge with the user experience in mind. So, if normally there would be 15 steps to go from point A to B to help that patient get their care, we tried to reduce that to maybe 6. As a Cisco partner, we already knew that Cisco products could integrate with other technologies. So, step by step, together with Cisco, we built out Mercy Virtual’s Engagement@Home program. Patients get an Engagement@Home kit to connect their data with the Mercy Virtual network.

Within less than five minutes, we’re able to look at their vitals, assess that, and have them on video face-to-face with one of our providers here, when most of them live 60 miles away from the nearest hospital.

Shelby Zytko, Navigator, Mercy Virtual

This gives caregivers a much greater sense of how patients are doing. Within a year of its introduction, Mercy Virtual saw:

50% reduction in preventable readmissions for Engagement@Home patients

35% fewer days in the hospital

60% fewer septic shock deaths in patients treated remotely

There’s never been a better time to make the world a healthier place.

Thanks, WWT!

The story doesn’t end there…

Check out how Cisco helped WWT deliver virtual care with a human touch here.

Meet other Cisco partners helping customers around the world.