Service Extension

A picture of a woman doing a telehealth visit on the computer.

Description

The Service Extension strategy aims to provide equitable access to ambulatory care to all South Carolina residents. Through telehealth capabilities, patients in SC have the opportunity to connect with their providers from afar, eliminating barriers to care such as travel. In 2022, SC providers continued to optimize the use of telehealth in their care settings to accommodate patient needs and broaden accessibility. It is apparent that both patients and providers see the value of telehealth in the ambulatory setting, as these visit types held the largest volume of telehealth in the state again this year. Learn more about this strategy.

Example services

  • Ambulatory Telehealth Visits
  • Regional Telehealth Clinics
  • Outpatient Telepsychiatry
  • eConsults

Callouts

  • McLeod Health’s Multi-Disciplinary Review (MDR) program brings medical experts across a variety of specialties, patients, and their family members together via telehealth for a group consultation. This allows a better understanding of all aspects of the patient’s diagnosis and treatment plan, and a venue to ask the medical team questions. The program has received extremely positive feedback, and has shown success in improving collaboration, increasing quality of care, improving understanding of treatment and diagnosis, and increasing follow-up visit rates. Learn more about McLeod Health's MDR program.
  • The Stroke Recovery Research Center at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) offers telerehabilitation for its patients who are recovering from stroke health outcomes. This unique program connects occupational therapists to patients in their homes via telehealth, providing them with the ability to undergo therapy in their own environment. The program has shown immense success, allowing patients to receive therapy more conveniently while practicing their everyday tasks in their home. Hear from a patient enrolled in this program.
  • The SCTA’s free, premium instance of a HIPAA compliant telehealth platform, continued to serve as a helpful tool for SC providers. Over 1,300 SC providers have taken advantage of this offering, completing over 56,800 visits in 2022.
  • 750,000+ total synchronous ambulatory visit in 2022
  • 63,000+ average synchronous ambulatory visits per month in 2022