Sentara telehealth program approaches 60,000 virtual patient visits per year

Clearing brush in shorts and a T-shirt. The itching is intense. Soap and water haven't helped. He wants relief now. Rather than drive to an urgent care facility, he pulls out his smart phone and schedules a remote visit with Sentara Virtual Care. Nurse Practitioner Crystal Navarro connects with him after just ten minutes in the queue.

"Have you taken steroids before?" she asks the patient, David, after introductions and a brief medical history. "How do you react to Benadryl?"

David shows Navarro the angry rash on his arms with his phone camera and tells her his legs look the same. It's a bad case, as far as poison ivy goes.

Navarro recommends a course of prescription steroids and topical treatments to ease the itching and calm the skin inflammation. She files a prescription electronically with David's preferred pharmacy and offers advice on home remedies.

"Cool compresses, calamine lotion, colloidal oatmeal baths, and over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream can help with symptoms," she tells him. "You can also take Benadryl or store-brand diphenhydramine for the itching. It might make you a little drowsy, so be aware of that if you're driving.

"It's also important to wash the clothes you were wearing," Navarro reminds him. "They hold the plant oil, and that can cause another exposure if you put them back on. And be sure to wash them separately from the rest of your laundry."

The call lasts just over 15 minutes, and David is on his way to the pharmacy.

After Navarro finishes her notes on the call, she logs in with the next patient. She'll interact with as many as 30 patients during her 12-hour shift, most of whom have relatively minor ailments, like David's. Patients may need a prescription, advice on self-care, or Navarro might recommend an urgent care or emergency department, depending on the medical issue the patient presents.

She's one of 20 providers who support Sentara Virtual Care - they are on track to exceed 60,000 patient visits in 2026. Add to that the number of remote visits between all Sentara Medical Group providers and their regular patients, and that number swells to 260,000 virtual patient encounters. It's a reflection of how patients have embraced the convenience, privacy, and efficiency of virtual care.

Patients can connect with Sentara Virtual Care from their homes, offices, or cars when they are sick or injured or don't have time to drive to a brick-and-mortar office or wait for an appointment with their primary care physician.

"Sentara led the nation in deployment of remote care during COVID," said Tyler Okoren, Executive Director of Ambulatory Services for Sentara Medical Group (SMG).

"We had just introduced virtual care in 2019, and we were building the infrastructure to expand it. When COVID caused the public shutdowns, we were able to put 80% of our SMG providers online within a couple of weeks," he explained. "We were living on coffee and pizza and no sleep, but our patients appreciated having continued contact with their providers during the pandemic."

Sentara Medical Group maintained 80% of normal patient volume during the COVID shutdown, thanks to rapid deployment of virtual capabilities, and crash courses for providers in managing virtual care, along with Sentara's electronic medical record system.

Sentara now leans into virtual care for multiple applications, including virtual follow-ups with patients discharged from hospitals through Sentara-To-Home, chronic disease management.

"We've added 60,000 patient visits a year without new office space," Okoren said. "We're serving multiple geographies with a continuum of care through Sentara eCare® and MyChart. We're breaking down barriers to care, such as transportation, for seniors and the disabled, and we're adding convenience for our patients and providers."

Sentara Virtual Care is preparing to expand its team and capacity over the next year and may add certain specialties to its menu of virtual services, such as rheumatology.

"It's a work in progress," Okoren said. "But we are confident that it has an unlimited future, and Sentara is committed to being a leader in virtual care."

In a healthcare landscape where access and convenience matter more than ever, that commitment means expert care from a Sentara provider is never more than a few taps away.