Becker's Healthcare April 3, 2020
With federal and state governments loosening restrictions on telemedicine due to the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals such as Tampa, Fla.-based Moffitt Cancer Center have reported steep increases in virtual visits with patients.
Moffitt, which implemented a telemedicine pilot program about two years ago, is now completing nearly 300 virtual visits with patients per day, Philippe Spiess, MD, assistant chief of surgical services at the cancer center, told Becker’s Hospital Review. Dr. Spiess leads Moffitt’s telemedicine efforts alongside Cristina Naso, who serves as virtual health director at the center.
Moffitt’s teleoncology model is not patient on demand; most of the virtual visits it hosts are scheduled as opposed to a virtual type of walk-in visit. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,...