Equipped with NextGen Healthcare’s mobile application and other tech, Neighborhood Health, an FQHC in Nashville TN, is bringing care to the streets of the city – literally. Learn more about this grassroots approach to meeting patients where they are.
Healthcare IT Today caught up with Anthony Villanueva, the CIO of Neighborhood Health after he presented at the NextGen User conference. Together with Dr. Ebony Funches from Venice Family Clinic, Villanueva shared insights and strategies for street medicine programs.
Street Medicine
Neighborhood Health faced a significant challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020. With their facilities shut down and no public transportation available, they could not see the patients they care for. To address this, the organization decided to bring healthcare directly to those in need on the streets of Nashville.
To do this, Neighborhood Health chose to implement NextGen’s mobile solutions
Care Through NextGen Mobile
Since laptop computers were not an option for field work (too bulky, battery life too short, and too expensive), NextGen’s mobile app was the perfection fit. The app provides all the basic functions needed in the field – access to the medical record, e-prescribing, and charge entry.
“It also provides us the ability to take pictures and send them securely back to our office,” explained Villanueva. “This helps to fully document a chart which saves time, and a complete chart means better care for our patient.”
Patient navigators in the field are equipped with an LTE-enabled tablet. A clinical care team, comprising a patient navigator, medical assistant, clinician, and administrator, collaborate seamlessly using mobile technology.
Neighborhood Health’s street medicine initiative is helping them not just bridge gaps in access to care, but changing how care is provided, one street at a time.
Watch the interview with Anthony Villaneuva:
Learn more about Neighborhood Health at https://www.neighborhoodhealthtn.org/
Listen and subscribe to the Healthcare IT Today Interviews Podcast to hear all the latest insights from experts in healthcare IT.
And for an exclusive look at our top stories, subscribe to our newsletter and YouTube.
Tell us what you think. Contact us here or on Twitter at @hcitoday. And if you’re interested in advertising with us, check out our various advertising packages and request our Media Kit.
NextGen is a sponsor of Healthcare Scene.
