Mass General Brigham CIO Chris Coburn shares how the company built its digital strategy in response to Covid-19. Photo credit: Partners Healthcare Innovation

In December, Mass General Brigham announced plans for a new digital health initiative, including data analysis tools and telehealth tools. Little did they know that three months later, Covid-19 would sweep across the U.S.

“All of that occurred as a prelude to the arrival of the virus in the U.S. and ultimately, Massachusetts,” said Chris Coburn, chief innovation officer at Mass General Brigham said at MedCity’s INVEST virtual conference.

The state saw its Covid-19 cases skyrocket in April, peaking at the end of the month, according to the Boston Globe. During that time, Mass General Brigham also saw telehealth usage skyrocket. Coburn said the number of virtual visits jumped from roughly 1,500 per month to 250,000 during the pandemic.

The health system had so many virtual visits, its existing telehealth vendor was not able to keep up. Like many healthcare providers, the team turned to Zoom and integrated it into its Epic health record system.

“It was just shocking how much of a change it was,” he said. “All of this was happening at the same time. There really isn’t a playbook.”

Most of those visits were done over video calls — about 80% — but a significant portion were conducted over the phone. In the long-term, Coburn said he expects roughly 30% of care will be done electronically.

“When they saw what could be done, many patients prefer an environment where they’re at home,” he said. “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for this new environment.”

A ‘torrent’ of outside solutions

Another challenge the team faced was evaluating a “torrent of potential solutions” from outside vendors.

While cost does matter, during the crisis, Coburn said the most important criteria were finding tools that fit into physicians’ clinical workflow, and could be deployed quickly and reliably. In particular, his team was looking for solutions to help manage patients after discharge, and keep them out of the hospital

“For us to be able to organize, make decisions and implement (those) in a couple of days was among our greatest achievements that our digital teams accomplished,” he said.

The health system also developed some of its own responses to the pandemic. Hospitals affixed iPads in rooms for Covid-19 patients so they could keep in communication with their care teams and families.

In some of the hardest hit neighborhoods in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital offered 1,000 antibody tests to asymptomatic residents as part of a study in conjunction with the city. The resulting information “became critical in designing our response,” Coburn said.

It’s difficult to know how much longer the Covid-19 pandemic will continue, and what the future of healthcare will look like as a result. The resulting financial challenges for healthcare providers have spurred discussions around different care models and how digital technology should be used.

For the latter, Coburn said he has seen an “acceptance across the board” from providers, payers and patients.

“As difficult as this period is, I’m personally optimistic that care will be better in the future,” he said.

Correction: A previous version of the article had an incorrect title for Chris Coburn. He is the chief innovation officer of Mass General Brigham.