Certified as an NCQA Patient-Centered Medical Home, Cherokee Health stayed focused on minimizing gaps-in-care, keeping care accessible to patients regardless of payer, and communicating the availability of Telehealth as a new visit option. Rhea says this would have been much more complicated with previous vendors, some who would take days or even weeks to make changes to scripting or send on-demand messaging to patients. 

“We implemented Relatient’s software during a global pandemic. As soon as we went live, we had immediate changes to implement due to ramifications of the crisis. Relatient’s team was available at every step of the transition. This collaboration was critical because we moved the majority of our patient appointments to Telehealth within a 10-day timeframe. For example, Relatient expedited actions such as the inclusion of the unique patient Telehealth link in the appointment reminder. We are pleased with Relatient’s professionalism and timeliness when we needed it most.”  —Andy Rhea, CIO, Cherokee Health Systems

Looking Past COVID-19

An early adopter of telemedicine, Cherokee Health has been using it within their clinics since 1999 to connect their patients to specialists that would have otherwise been difficult to access. COVID-19 created an immediate need to expand those services into patient homes and Rhea says it’s likely here to stay even after the risk of COVID-19 dissipates. Whether in-clinic or via Telehealth, Cherokee Health looks to digital tools like reminders, demand messaging, online billing, health campaigns, and patient surveys to help patients navigate the patient journey, stay current in their care, and access care easily.