Health Systems Announce Virtual and In-Home Care Company

On Oct. 24, the Charleston, S.C.-based Medical University of South Carolina health system (MUSC Health) and the Cleveland-based MetroHealth System (MetroHealth) announced a partnership, creating Ovatient, a virtual and in-home care non-profit company. The company will focus on building and maintaining connectivity to health systems and will provide the opportunity for health systems to combine resources and address healthcare workforce issues.

A press release on the announcement states that “As numerous health outcomes data sources demonstrate, health systems and their caregivers are best positioned to serve patients across a wide spectrum of health conditions, especially given their commitment to infusing research and best practices into their clinical care. As nontraditional healthcare providers continue to enter the healthcare ecosystem and seek to capitalize on digital technologies and the convenience they provide, MUSC Health and MetroHealth created Ovatient to offer the same convenience and a better experience all while preserving the connectivity to acute and procedural care sites so that patients do not endure fragmented care experiences.”

Ovatient is currently working with providers at MUSC Health and MetroHealth on building clinically informed technology for clinical workflows and providing a smooth continuum of care to existing and new customers.

MUSC Health and Metro Health say that they are looking to improve care access across the U.S., not just in South Carolina and Ohio.

Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and executive vice president of Health Affairs, University is quoted in the release saying that “Built for health systems by health systems, Ovatient represents an opportunity to multiply our collective wisdom and clinical expertise in telehealth and care delivered in the home. We look forward to engaging with other like-minded health systems who believe that together, we can make history by creating a new way of serving patients and addressing their health needs.”