As hospital emergency rooms are dealing with staffing shortages, a spokesperson for Providence Centralia (Wa.) Hospital told The Chronicle March 8 that 20 to 25 percent of patients coming into their emergency room could receive telehealth care.
Renton, Wash.-based Providence operates a virtual care system, Providence ExpressCare Virtual, that can see patients from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. The average wait time for the program is 15 minutes, according to Amanda Ashley, Providence's director of telehealth.
Fewer than 5 percent of patients who use Providence's telehealth service need to be brought into the hospital for further care, Ms. Ashley said.