Virtua Health improves patient and caregiver experiences with 2-way text messaging

The goal was to remove unnecessary barriers patients encountered when seeking answers and do so in a way that empowered the clinical team to provide the best care experience possible. As patients sought care at home during the pandemic, Virtua Health, the largest health system in South New Jersey, noticed an increase in virtual care appointments and digital interactions. Many health systems, like Virtua, experienced an incredible rush of communications to the care team as a result of this change in patient interaction. According to Dr. Tarun Kapoor, senior vice president and chief digital transformation officer at Virtua Health, the rise in patient interactions caused more friction in clinical workflows that weren't designed to handle the volume. In other words, he said, "our care teams were responsible with supporting in-person appointments and day-to-day tasks at the hospital or medical practise, as well as effectively reacting to these new messages."