Photo: Jessica Pons
UCLA HEALTH HAS LONG BEEN A leader in innovative health care delivery. One of the greatest advances we’ve seen during the global pandemic is the rapid adoption of telehealth. As the pandemic forced us to physically distance and isolate at home, UCLA Health, like other hospital systems across the country, was able to pivot from in-person visits and consultations to provide virtual health care services.
These live-video telehealth visits became a critical component of the COVID-19 response. The use of digital technology gives our patients access to quality health care services and the ability to manage health care offered by UCLA Health physicians and other clinicians from the comfort of their own homes. In the past year, telehealth paved the way for our physicians and nurses to provide care for more than a half-million patients.
Prior to the pandemic, fewer than 1% of medical appointments at UCLA Health were virtual. But the practice took off in March 2020 after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expanded coverage for telehealth. By April 2020, as patients increasingly canceled in-person appointments, virtual visits surged to 55%. Now, that number is about 25%.
Using telehealth as a mode of care delivery bridged the physical divide and expanded access to care during COVID-19. It served our patients in all areas with the ability to talk to health care providers live, send and receive messages, provide remote patient health monitoring and increase ease of access to health care services. These virtual health care tools also shortened wait times to see providers and expanded the range of access to specialists who were located farther away.
While telehealth brought convenience during the pandemic, it also shed light on health care disparities and the importance of improved access to digital health tools for all populations. A quality virtual visit requires robust technology for effective communication between the patient and provider. Social determinants may hinder patients from accessing telehealth as they may not have the resources to afford technology or the tech savvy to use digital platforms. We recognize that there is more work to be done to address these challenges for our patients.
UCLA Health is committed to providing access to care for patients who need our services. Among the first health systems in the country to advance health equity in all patient populations, we are committed to being an equitable provider of comprehensive care. Through our community outreach efforts, we partner with community organizations to bring health services to the doorsteps of those in need. These programs include our UCLA Mobile Eye Clinic, Student-Run Homeless Clinic and community giveaway events for school and wellness resources in partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers, among many other efforts. We also continue to expand our footprint, with four hospitals in Los Angeles and 250 community clinics in Southern California. We will continue to identify areas of need in our community and deepen our institutional commitment to advance inclusive excellence, equity and justice.
As we look ahead, the clinical and research strengths of UCLA Health and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA position us to make a transformative impact on patient care. We actively participate in research and clinical trials to advance health care delivery, continually adjusting our processes and care-delivery pathways to ensure state-ofthe- art care. We also partner with leading developers to create and integrate new products that can help our patients better manage health care needs.
I am hopeful about the future of health care delivery and remain inspired by the innovation, dedication and teamwork of the amazing physicians, nurses, support staff, students and volunteers at UCLA Health.
Johnese Spisso
, MPA
President, UCLA Health
CEO, UCLA Hospital System
Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences
