OU Medicine Wins Pandemic Acceleration and Activation Award for Success in Delivering Virtual Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OU Medicine has been awarded the Pandemic Acceleration and Activation Award from national telehealth leader Amwell ®.

The award recognizes organizations for their agile and swift virtual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. OU Medicine’s was specifically recognized for its ability to rapidly scale its virtual care program to meet unprecedented levels of demand and deliver care safely to those in need amid the pandemic.

“Telehealth is serving an important role during this time of COVID-19 and OU Medicine lost no time in accelerating these services when the pandemic hit,” said John P. Zubialde, M.D., executive dean of the OU College of Medicine. “Our telehealth capability at OU Medicine allows us to provide care for our patients that is convenient for them no matter where they live in Oklahoma. As the largest and most comprehensive physician group in Oklahoma, OU Medicine provides care to address every health need, from primary care to specialty expertise. It is extremely rewarding to be recognized for our efforts by such a respected organization as Amwell.”

Pre-COVID-19, OU Medicine, Oklahoma’s most comprehensive academic health system, had a modest telehealth program in place that consisted of some primary care services, post-op visits and virtual pain management clinic. Since COVID-19, the health system’s virtual strategy has seen unprecedented acceleration. OU Medicine has built out its internal telehealth team, onboarded more than 800 providers across all specialties, and conducted more than 25,000 virtual visits since March. Rather than wait for a perfect implementation, OU Medicine decided to deploy quickly and iterate - a decision that was key to its success.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced health systems to alter traditional approaches to medicine, with virtual care being a key pathway for enabling patients to see providers safely, while maintaining social distancing requirements,” said Dr. Peter Antall, Chief Medical Officer, Amwell. “OU Medicine rose to the challenge and quickly responded by onboarding hundreds of providers across a variety of specialties to ensure all patients could continue receiving the care they needed. We’re proud to partner with this innovative organization.”

To schedule a telehealth visit, existing OU Medicine patients can contact the clinic where they normally go to see their doctor. The clinic staff will provide information about how to download the OU Medicine Health Connect app and set up an account. New patients can do the same by contacting the clinic they are interested in visiting. To find a telehealth provider or specialty, visit oumedicine.com/healthconnect.