Key takeaways:
- DexCare is a digital access platform developed by Providence to ease the way of patients and make healthcare more accessible for everyone.
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for innovative solutions to address growing healthcare challenges.
- DexCare started as a product-focused on same-day care and has since grown into an independent company.
[3 MIN READ]
You wake up with a stuffy nose and a fever. You search online and then go to the nearest urgent care clinic, fill out a stack of forms and sit down in a crowded waiting room. And then you wait. When you’re finally able to see a care provider you learn that, based on your insurance and symptoms, you can’t be treated there. Now you’ve wasted your morning and you still feel crummy. There’s got to be a better way.
Experts at Providence say DexCare may be the answer.
DexCare is a digital access optimization platform developed by the Providence Digital Innovation Group. The innovative technology allows you to access healthcare, make appointments and receive follow-up care based on your health needs, preferences, location and schedule.
“DexCare is a digital solution that Providence went on a journey about five years ago to build in-house to make digital care work for everyone,” says Sean O’Connor, Executive in Residence and DexCare Chief Commercialization Officer.
In recent years, the available care options that use telehealth and scheduling technology have grown in record numbers. But better, more convenient, easily accessible care has not always been the result.
We had to rebuild the entire consumer experience to make care access easier to find, easier to navigate and ultimately a better consumer experience.
“There was a lot of technology that wasn’t integrated,” O’Connor says. “We had to rebuild the entire consumer experience to make care access easier to find, easier to navigate and ultimately a better consumer experience.”
Developing this technology is one of the ways Providence lives out its mission to ease our patients’ way.
Developing this technology is one of the ways Providence lives out its mission to ease our patients’ way and remove the barriers to healthcare faced by so many people in our community.
“Providence is a very mission-driven organization. We try to improve quality of care and access for all, making healthcare more equitable for everyone. DexCare plays a huge role in that,” O’Connor adds.
Digital integration for better, more convenient access
For patients, the DexCare platform provides a self-directed, easy-to-use digital experience that removes barriers to care and improves access. With DexCare you can:
- Access care on your terms, via whichever care modality is most convenient for you
- Easily schedule all types of care online, including on-demand virtual, in-clinic visits, chat-based care or in-home care
- Help you understand and select the best care option given your symptoms and appointment availability
- Determine insurance eligibility, estimate your out-of-pocket costs and make online payments
- Based on symptoms, match you to a provider that has the highest NPS score to treat your anticipated underlying condition
The process is seamless and doesn't require any special apps or knowledge, according to O’Connor.
“From Google we’re one click away. The patient never interacts directly with DexCare. The process starts with their Google search and looks at their location and symptoms to route them to the most appropriate site within Providence — clinic, ER, virtual visit, phone call, etc. It’s a seamless process. You won’t necessarily know it’s happening,” he says. “DexCare is the one tool that ties it all together.”
Pandemic prompts expansion
DexCare was used initially as the platform to access same-day care at Providence. When the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit, Providence leaders invested in the health system’s infrastructure and scaled up DexCare’s platform to increase its use in other areas. As the innovative technology evolved it helped Providence coordinate resources and shift from in-person care to telehealth visits to ensure providers could meet the unprecedented demand.
The pandemic highlighted the need to become more digitally sophisticated, more digitally savvy. COVID-19 shut down so many locations that we had to get more creative
“The pandemic highlighted the need to become more digitally sophisticated, more digitally savvy. COVID definitely escalated that. COVID-19 shut down so many locations that we had to get more creative,” O’Connor explains.
From product to company
DexCare is set to become an independent company this month, making it the third Providence-incubated company after Xealth and Circle. Xealth enables care providers to order digital content and services and provides easy access for patients to manage the health tools available to them. Circle, which was purchased by Wildflower, is an app that helps families manage their health needs through one easy-to-use program. Providence will continue to look for innovative ways to “improve healthcare from inside out,” O’Connor says.
We want to improve the quality of care and access for all. DexCare is the one tool that ties everything together.
“We’re very passionate about trying to improve the patient experience. The footprint of healthcare is changing rapidly with digital and virtual telehealth becoming more prevalent,” O’Connor says. “We want to improve the quality of care and access for all. DexCare is the one tool that ties everything together.”
The Providence Digital Innovation Group works to identify barriers to healthcare and develop digital solutions that can help eliminate any challenges you face. Learn more about digital innovation at Providence.
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Find a doctor
Through Providence Express Care Virtual, you can access a full range of healthcare services. If you need to find a doctor, you can use our provider directory or search for one in your area.
Related resources
Get relevant, up-to-date information on the coronavirus (COVID-19) from Providence.
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This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your healthcare professional's instructions.
