03-26-2024, 05:41 AM
Samaritan Health Services Partners with KeyCare to Offer 24x7 Virtual Care via Epic
Chicago, March 26, 2024 – KeyCare, the nation’s first Epic-based virtual care company, announced today that it has partnered with Samaritan Health Services to provide 24x7, national virtual urgent care services to their patients.
Samaritan is a nonprofit network of hospitals, clinics, and health services caring for more than 265,000 residents in the mid-Willamette Valley and central Oregon coast. Samaritan patients can now obtain virtual urgent care wherever and whenever needed by conducting a virtual visit through the MyChart patient portal.
“Because we serve a population of rural and sometimes vulnerable patients, it is essential that we prioritize delivering care in a way that is affordable and convenient,” said Sonney Sapra, Chief Information Officer, Samaritan Health Services. “Our partnership with KeyCare ensures that we can immediately expand access for virtual urgent care to meet our patient demand, while allowing us to add other virtual services offerings over time.”
The $59 self-pay virtual visit will be available starting Tuesday, March 19, at samhealth.org/MyChart or samhealth.org/CareNow. Video visits will be with KeyCare clinicians who can prescribe medications (excluding controlled substances), but not order laboratory or imaging tests. It is a great option to treat a wide range of minor, routine medical issues, including allergies, back pain, bites or stings, coughs, colds, fevers, flus, minor burns, headaches, constipation, nausea, vomiting, pink eye, sinus problems, sore throats, sprains and strains, urinary tract infections, and tooth pain.
“We are thrilled to be able to help Samaritan Health Services expand access to care for its patient population, and especially fortunate to have Samaritan as our first health system partner in Oregon. We believe that with the right virtual care partner, health systems can improve access, affordability, and quality for patients,” said Lyle Berkowitz, MD, CEO of KeyCare. “We look forward to collaborating with Samaritan to provide an integrated, continuous care experience that enables patients to have expanded access while still maintaining strong connections to their trusted care teams.”
About KeyCare
KeyCare offers health systems access to a network of independent virtual care providers working on KeyCare's Epic-based EMR and telehealth platform. This allows KeyCare to increase access for health system patients while decreasing the burden for their providers. Health systems can start with nationwide virtual on-demand care coverage (24x7, 50-state coverage), and then may add other virtual health services based on their virtual care initiatives. To learn more about KeyCare, visit www.keycare.org.
About Samaritan Health Services
Samaritan is a nonprofit regional health system that brings together community hospitals, physician clinics and health insurance plans to serve more than 265,000 residents of Oregon’s Benton, Lincoln, and Linn counties. With its 6,000 employees, Samaritan is committed to “building healthier communities together.” Visit samhealth.org.