Mercy using virtual program to care for COVID-19 patients at home

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Hospitals across Oklahoma are concerned about the dwindling number of hospital beds as the number of coronavirus cases across the state continues to climb.

Now, Mercy announced that it is tapping into its Mercy Virtual expertise to care for certain COVID-19 patients at home.

Mercy COVID Care @ Home offers remote, in-home care for patients with mild symptoms who may need low-flow rates of oxygen. It also offers virtual home monitoring in real time.

The 24-hour care will include measurements of oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry, adjusting oxygen flow as necessary, along with additional evaluations and appropriate interventions.

“We have learned that not all patients who were admitted at the onset of COVID-19 need to be hospitalized,” said Dr. Carter Fenton, medical director of Mercy Virtual vAcute. “By caring for select patients at home, with ongoing monitoring and management, we can reserve the hospital beds for those with more serious disease symptoms.”

If a patient worsens, they can be evaluated by the virtual team and an emergency physician will determine the type of care they need.

“We’re able to take our five years of experience in providing virtual, in-home care and translate it into caring for COVID-19 patients,” added Dr. Gavin Helton, Mercy Virtual president. “We hope by caring for certain COVID-19 patients in their homes, it will make them more comfortable and still connected to care, while lightening the load on hospital caregivers and in-patient resources.”

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