There is an acute need for innovative solutions in healthcare in this day of extended patient wait times, overworked doctors, and onerous administrative procedures. Data from recent surveys show that Americans wait an average of 26 days to see a healthcare provider, and that providers themselves find it difficult to handle the enormous burden of caring for 2,500 patients, which requires an estimate of 26.7 hours of time each day.  

The issues are made worse by inconsistencies in procedures before and after appointments, manual processes for bringing patients onboard and providing treatment, and communication barriers that hinder patient care and compliance. Notwithstanding these obstacles, there exist prospects for enhancement, and augment healthcare accessibility, standardize protocols, and optimize workflows. 

HelixVM™, a virtual healthcare marketplace, tackles these pressing needs. It offers fast prescriptions and medical opinions. Its accessibile from anywhere, regardless of insurance status. It can double physician processing capacity without the need for additional ancillary staff. Its smooth interoperability with electronic medical records (EMR) permits effective patient management and cross-state collaboration while guaranteeing data security. 

To evaluate the real-world utility and effectiveness of the HelixVM platform, HITLAB conducted a comprehensive user study with healthcare providers, focusing on usability, acceptability, efficiency and impact on healthcare access, physician time, and productivity. The study, comprising structured interviews with 10 active users of the HelixVM platform, employed qualitative thematic and sentiment analysis, and quantitative descriptive analysis to glean in-depth insights. 

The results of the study were overwhelmingly positive. Providers lauded HelixVM for its role in enhancing patient access, particularly for those facing transportation barriers. The platform’s streamlined processes and user-friendly interface were widely appreciated with providers emphasizing the critical importance of data safety, bolstered by HelixVM’s robust security measures. 

Moreover, HelixVM was found to significantly improve efficiency in patient management and collaboration, transcending geographical boundaries. Its seamless integration with EMR garnered high praise with over 50% of providers expressing positive sentiments towards this feature. Similarly, 50% of providers viewed HelixVM as an invaluable platform for practicing asynchronous medicine, highlighting its SOAP notes’ comprehensive nature and its ability to provide a time-share marketplace for supplemental income. 

Key findings further highlighted HelixVM’s role in saving valuable provider time per patient and enhancing overall productivity. Ninety percent of providers agreed that HelixVM’s triage SOAP notes were instrumental in saving time, while half of respondents expressed full confidence in leveraging AI decision support for improving patient-provider interactions and medical triage. 

In addition to these findings, providers gave suggestions  to further optimize HelixVM’s capabilities. These included improving triage with AI for better clearing, addressing patient concerns, optimizing orders, and preventing incomplete patient charts. Furthermore, there were suggestions to streamline documentation for accuracy, covering medical history, medications, allergies, and patient-reported data. 

The user study conducted by HITLAB underlines the promise of HelixVM in tackling urgent healthcare issues. With its focus on accessibility, streamlined processes, and provider empowerment, HelixVM is a paradigm shift toward a more effective and patient-centered healthcare ecosystem. Digital health solutions such as HelixVM are rays of hope that point the way towards a healthier and more accessible future as we navigate the complexities of contemporary healthcare.