2020-03-19

COVID-19 and Connect Care #9 - Virtual Care Supports

As previously posted, AHS Virtual Health will continue to support physicians and patients who use existing telehealth, Skype or RealPresence tools for Virtual Care. In addition, AHS has extended its Zoom enterprise agreement to support clinicians interacting with one another or with patients.

Collaboration: Video conferencing can help clinicians working remotely from one another or their patients. Videoconferencing for collaboration should continue to use AHS Skype for Business when it is easily usable by all participants. However, physicians work in diverse contexts, often using personal devices, wherein the AHS instance of Skype may struggle. AHS Zoom provides an easy alternative for clinicians willing to (mostly) self-help. The CMIO portfolio, working with Medical Affairs, is organizing help for more complex needs.

Virtual Care: When videoconferencing is needed for virtual care, and telephone or Skype for Business or telehealth suites do not suffice, AHS Zoom can serve as a secure, health-appropriate, alternative. AHS Virtual Health is working to support these uses, initially focusing on the most pressing clinical use-cases.

Please see a new section of the Connect Care Physician Manual about Virtual Care. Links to tips can help physicians get started with AHS Zoom (ahs-cis.ca/zoom). Updated Connect Care Communication Norms offer advice about appropriate use of these tools. This is work in progress so check back from time to time.

We ask for some patience. The extended AHS Zoom service is new. The Manual entries and tip links will evolve as we discover tricks for trouble-free collaboration through Zoom video conferencing: