Microsoft links with Cerner, Epic to unveil 5 telehealth capabilities

Microsoft has unveiled several capabilities for virtual healthcare visits, which can be used through Epic and Cerner EHR, according to an Oct. 19 Microsoft Teams blog post.

Five things to know:

1. Patients and clinicians can launch telehealth visits through the Microsoft Teams EHR connector for Cerner. Clinicians can launch visits from Cerner PowerChart. The Microsoft Teams EHR connector is also available for patients whose providers use Epic.
   
   
2. Microsoft will allow clinicians to have scheduled queuing for virtual visits. The queue offers clinicians real-time updates on patient wait times, missed appointments and staffing delays. 
   
   
3. Clinicians can also send text messages and email reminders to patients directly from the queue dashboard. Microsoft Teams EHR connector also enables text notification for EHRs.
   
   
4. The EHR connector can integrate patient information prior to appointments with Microsoft Forms.
   
   
5. Patients can join a telehealth visit using a mobile phone without having to download the Microsoft Teams app.