Each year, Lowell Community Health Center (Lowell CHC), 25 miles northwest of Boston, sees 30,000 patients, 90% of whom are low-income and 45% of whom are non-English speakers. Lowell CHC selected Doximity Dialer as its primary virtual care solution and was the first health center to join Doximity through the Commonwealth Purchasing Group (CPG) partnership. The CPG and Doximity Partnership allows community health centers that are a member of CPG free access to the Doximity Dialer platform.
Setting the foundation for an optimal decision
The composition of its patient population was a key priority for the Lowell CHC team as it set out to select a virtual care platform. At least 10% of patients don’t have smartphones and, according to census data, one out of six Lowell households don’t have a home computer; and 25% don’t have broadband. “Tech literacy for patients and literal access to hardware is critical for virtual care adoption,” says Molly Morgan, Lowell CHC’s Project Manager. “It was vital to select an easy-to-use, patient-friendly and flexible platform.” After evaluating several telehealth vendors, Doximity Dialer was clearly the strongest choice.
Delivering on Lowell CHC’s top priorities
Lowell CHC identified six must-haves when assessing vendors. Doximity Dialer checked all the boxes:
- Simple interface for patients and providers
- Patients told Lowell CHC that an application which mimicked FaceTime would be ideal; they wanted something that was intuitive to use. An easy platform was critical for improving patient access and providing care to folks who are not tech-savvy. A feature as simple as reversing the camera to show a rash on the foot or a medicine cabinet’s contents, for example, was key, yet not all virtual care options offer this function. Another ease-of-use function? The ability to simply tap the screen to add another person to the call. Consider a pediatrician calling a teen patient. Without a guardian present, the visit would have to be rescheduled. But with three-way call ability, the provider or patient can quickly invite the teen’s guardian to the video call.
- No downloads or passwords needed
- Adoption rates for any digital engagement tool plummet when patients must download an app or use a password to access care. Doximity Dialer requires neither.
- Seamless integration with medical interpreters, both internal and external
- Interpreter integration was a deciding factor for Lowell CHC. Doximity Dialer makes it easy, with just a tap, for Lowell CHC to access its internal and external interpreters. As a result, Lowell CHC saw a 5% increase in non-English speaking patients using video appointments within two months.
- Call masking
- Blocked numbers or unfamiliar area codes are commonplace with many other platforms. Lowell CHC’s team knew its that patients were far more likely to answer the call when the Lowell CHC main phone number appears on patients’ screens. Blocked numbers are cold and disconcerting, but a familiar phone number personalizes the connection and increases likelihood of patients responding.
- Flexibility, including on-demand dialing
- Unlike other platforms, Doximity does not require a registry list of patients with their contact information., Lowell CHC care teams need to be able to dial on demand, sometimes using different numbers than were initially provided in the patient account. Doximity Dialer provides this flexibility.
- Limited staffing
- Due to the staffing shortages and lean operations of a community health center, Lowell CHC needed a flexible platform where the provider can initiate and run all pieces of the call themselves. The Doximity Dialer platform alleviates “brain burden,” in the words of nurse practitioner and clinical informaticist Katie Fearon, so providers can focus on patient care.
As a Federally Qualified Health Center, Lowell CHC found that Doximity is a match in terms of culture and mission. One year after introducing the platform to caregivers and patients, Lowell has seen a 45% increase in video use at the health center. This is a tremendous win for the entire community.