Virtual Care Partnership Gives Rural Nebraska Patients Access to Convenient, Safe, Affordable Online Treatment for Common Health Conditions

LINCOLN, Neb. and SEWARD, Neb., Aug. 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bryan Health and Memorial Health Care Systems (MHCS) announce the launch of Memorial eVisit, the first virtual care offering by a Nebraska rural critical access hospital.

The online solution gives community members of rural Seward County, Neb. a new, affordable way to receive a diagnosis and treatment plan from a board certified Nebraska doctor at any time, 24/7. Memorial eVisit, is supported by Bryan Telemedicine, and uses virtual care software from industry leader Zipnosis. The arrangement takes advantage of the virtual care expertise of Bryan Telemedicine and their Nebraska board certified physicians. Bryan Telemedicine physicians will staff the new service, reviewing patient information and making an appropriate diagnosis.  

"With Memorial eVisit, the communities we serve can get the care they need, even when our clinics are closed," said Joel Gabriel, MD, Chief of Staff at MHCS.

"We recognized the demand for a virtual care option to meet the needs of the diverse patient population we serve in Seward County. We are excited to partner with Bryan Health to complement the primary care services we provide with a proven virtual care solution that our patients are sure to appreciate," said Roger Reamer, CEO of MHCS.

Andy Whitney, Director of Bryan Telemedicine Services, said MHCS is the first of several rural hospitals across Nebraska that the health system plans to partner with to provide convenient, trusted virtual care services to people across Nebraska.

"We launched Bryan Health eVisit with Zipnosis's help a year ago and it has proven to be a great care option for people with minor health conditions," Whitney said.  "People who use our service appreciate our fast response time, thorough diagnosis and explanations, and the convenience of obtaining a prescription if needed as part of the treatment plan. Our partnership with Memorial Health Care Systems is a great opportunity to offer this care option to people in rural communities and support Memorial's efforts to deliver primary care for everyone who needs it, regardless of when they need care. We expect other rural hospitals across the state will also be interested in using the eVisit platform to expand access to care for their patients."  

Easy, affordable online access to care 24/7
With Memorial eVisit, people can use their smartphones, computers or tablets to complete a short online interview - anywhere, anytime, 24/7. The online interview guides patients through a series of questions based on established, evidence-based medicine guidelines and adapts intuitively based on how patients answer the questions. A board-certified physician employed by Bryan Telemedicine then reviews the interview results and provides the diagnosis, typically in less than 30 minutes. Information about the diagnosis is sent to the patient via text or email. If a prescription is appropriate, Memorial eVisit enables the patient to send the prescription electronically to the pharmacy of their choice. If the doctor determines that the patient's symptoms require a face-to-face visit, the patient is provided information on how to schedule an appointment with a local provider at one of the three MHCS clinics.

"By launching Memorial eVisit, in partnership with Bryan Telemedicine, MHCS is improving access to quality clinical care and making it easier for patients and healthcare providers to connect online when mileage and distance are limiting factors," said Jon Pearce, co-founder and CEO of Zipnosis. "Telemedicine has always struggled with affordable access in rural communities.  Previous solutions have involved expensive grants or investment in telecom infrastructure or video systems.  Zipnosis' cloud-based virtual care platform more cost-effectively provides access to rural communities than any solution previously offered on the market. We look forward to working with Memorial and Bryan Health as they partner to take on this innovative approach to providing quality virtual care in a rural environment."

About Memorial Health Care Systems
Memorial Health Care System is a non-profit organization, including a critical access hospital, three primary care clinics and retail pharmacy. The mission for MHCS is to enhance the quality of life for individuals in our communities by providing excellence in health care services in the most appropriate settings. Amazing things happen when a healthcare partnership is built with a local family physician and at the heart of Memorial Health Care Systems are 11 physicians who are committed to caring for patients throughout all of life's stages.

About Bryan Health
Bryan Health is a Nebraska governed, non-profit health system that cares for patients, educates tomorrow's health care providers and motivates its community with fitness and health programs. Bryan Health provides an award-winning network of doctors, hospitals and medical providers to offer effective care; works with industry leaders to introduce leading-edge, proven treatments to our region; and serves rural communities through outreach clinics, mobile services and telemedicine care. Bryan Health is always focused on providing the personalized care and programs that make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

About Zipnosis:
Zipnosis partners with health systems nationwide to provide a white-labeled telehealth virtual care platform, offering patients convenient access to care while improving clinician efficiency. Patients can be virtually treated for more than 90 conditions using an evidence-based adaptive interview, triaged into a phone or video encounter, or when a lab test such as strep is needed, directed to visit a clinic with expedited service using the ZipTicket® boarding pass. Based in Minnesota, Zipnosis has more than 7 years of experience and data to help our partners rapidly launch and scale a market-leading virtual care solution. For more information, visit www.zipnosis.com.

Contact:                           
Julie Foral, Memorial Health Care Systems, 402-646-4627, [email protected]
Deb Boehle, Bryan Health, 402-481-8788, [email protected]
Joy DiNaro, Amendola Communications for Zipnosis, 847-809-0406, [email protected]

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SOURCE Zipnosis

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