The last six weeks for VirtualMed Staff have been a complete reload on how we do business, and where we do it. Our entire team is entering its sixth week of working completely from home, after we followed the requirement for shelter in place that came from the governor of Georgia.
Like so many of you, we found the rapid growth across the country in COVID-19 cases frightening, sad, and almost overwhelming. We ached for so many people who were impacted. We also realized we had very limited time to pivot to working remotely, since there has never been a greater need for telehealth services. As a result, we focused completely on our three priorities: our clients, our physicians, and our associates.
In early March, how we do business and where we do business became one and the same: virtual. We began to work virtually and we continued to provide virtual physicians to health systems across the country. And we do this still, very effectively. Overnight, it seemed, we weren’t just facilitating virtual care, we had become a fully virtual business.
Now in late April, our efforts remain carefully focused on the virtual care we provide across the country, including telepsychiatry, teleneurology, and new service line requests stemming from the virus. These include a growing number of unique needs for virtual care for infectious disease and pulmonology.
We also recently asked our CMO, Dr. Tom Tuzel, to host a 1-hour live video conference with all of our associates. In the hour, Dr. Tuzel fielded approximately 30 very thoughtful questions from our associates – questions to help with coping, with anger, with anxiety, with fear. His insight as a licensed, board-certified psychiatrist based in New York City, the center of the worst of the outbreaks, gave each of us enormous hope, advice and guidance. The meeting was as helpful as any I have every attended.
Our VirtualMed team has never been more focused or responsive to the needs of our clients. We also have used these events to remind ourselves almost daily about our mission. Which is simply this: to see more patients. Through telehealth, this will continue to be the mission that drives all we do.
With no certainty on the timing and safety of returning to our office, we will continue to work remotely and stay focused on providing excellent patient care. We are all in this together.
Thank you – our clients, our providers and our associates. We are grateful for your tireless efforts and proud to partner with all of you.