On-Demand Virtual Visits Attract New Patients to Rush University System for Health

// By Wendy Stark Healy //

The COVID-19 outbreak was challenging for healthcare organizations, but one positive for marketers was that the pandemic presented new opportunities to engage consumers digitally.

When patients couldn’t see their providers in the office, they used virtual care or telemedicine services. Rush University System for Health, a network of physicians and hospitals in the Chicago area, has a robust virtual care program, including new on-demand video visits that allow patients to get care when they need it, within minutes.

Tatyana Popkova, system senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Rush University System for Health

Tatyana Popkova, system senior vice president and chief strategy officer, and Tara Nooteboom, manager of digital patient engagement, discussed “On-Demand Virtual Care: Cost Benefit Ratios” at the recent Healthcare Marketing & Physician Strategies Virtual Summit.

Rush’s three guiding principles and strategic focus for its digital platform are to:

1. Attract new consumers to Rush by reducing barriers to access
2. Improve the consumer experience to drive patient loyalty
3. Position Rush as an evolving health system, ready for the future

Rush didn’t want its online platform to simply replicate a traditional healthcare workflow in the digital space, according to the speakers.

“We want to develop a consistent and predictable consumer experience to match our already outstanding patient experience,” says Popkova. “We want to lower the barriers to engagement with the Rush brand in order to develop relationships as opposed to just a simple transaction, and to cultivate long-term loyalty.”

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