Healthcare remains one of the core challenges of the 21st century. On the one hand, costs of healthcare keep soaring, and on the other hand, healthcare becomes increasingly complex with modern advancements, increased burden of chronic diseases like cancer, and growing collaboration with third parties like insurance.
The challenge continues to grip many modern economies of the world, and the US perhaps faces its gravest threat. In times like these, rational and positive adoption of modern technology like the integration of telehealth is the need of the hour for most healthcare agencies. A healthcare provider which is integrating the best of technology with optimum cost-efficiency and advanced healthcare practices is MemorialCare.
The MemorialCare Medical Group Urgent Care is a leading non-profit health system in the United States. The group includes leading hospitals in the US, including Long Beach Medical Center, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach, Orange Coast Medical Center, and Saddleback Medical Center.
The group is known for its award-winning healthcare service, with accolades like California’s Top Performing Medical Group and Best Orange County Medical Group, among others. The healthcare system is also rated as one of the top workplaces to work for in America by San Clemente Times, the Long Beach Press Telegram, Grunion Gazette, Dana Point Times, among others.
Urgent Care: An Advanced Solution to The Healthcare Crisis
Urgent care centers are quickly becoming the need of the hour for patients globally, as hospitals are often the last resort for many patients due to high costs. Additionally, urgent care centers or outpatient services are essential to understand primary diagnosis, method of treatment, duration, costs, and more.
Urgent care can also provide much-needed care during emergencies. The urgent care clinics around the United States also lead in providing key facilities like rehabilitation care. As the increasing tech-savvy working population spends endless hours on computers, and as diseases like cardiovascular disease grip populations worldwide, rehabilitation is a key promise for rejuvenation for millions. MemorialCare promises to cater to this largest group of patients with its services like Select Health Plan, imaging centers, breast centers, surgical centers, dialysis centers, and physical therapy centers.
MemorialCare caters to this growing pool of patients with its army of more than 2,000 employees and affiliated physicians. Today, the company holds some of the advanced imaging centers and ambulatory facilities in the country. Dr. Mark Schafer, the CEO of MemorialCare, believes best practices and compassion are among key values for the success of MemorialCare.
He witnessed the value of compassion and best practices in action during the pandemic. He noted, “At the beginning of the pandemic, people were afraid to visit hospitals. It led to a crisis where people delayed their treatment significantly, making them far sicker in the process.”
Virtual Care: A Motto for Best Practices in Healthcare
When the experts at MemorialCare, including Mark, noticed this trend, they quickly swung into action. They immediately launched the telehealth program for patients to enable them to diagnose their symptoms through a virtual visit. The program is highly recommended by agencies like CDC, which believe such visits can cut down immense trouble for chronically ill patients, as well as the elderly.
Due to the actions of Mark and his team, the urgent care solution was quickly extended for really ill patients. Moreover, the team also extended support for night and weekend emergencies with a 24/7 support model.
Dr. Mark believes telemedicine is an investment in the future of healthcare. He notes, “In the future, we can offer patients key services like pre-screening, insurance information, and intake forms by offering them virtual convenience.” This is the need of the hour for many chronically ill patients, as they can take more valuable time to discuss their condition with their physicians and rest all their worries about other issues for a while.
Furthermore, MemorialCare also promises to go a step further. The group has launched an Artificial Intelligence-based program to aid physicians in their quest to avail themselves of the best of technology for faster diagnosis and online treatment. The tool helps patients detect severe conditions and helps monitor conditions like diabetes, pregnancy, hypertension, among others remotely. The result is a truly state-of-the-art healthcare system with the integration of advanced technology, combined with the efficiency and efficacy of growing digitalization.
Dr. Mark suggests enthusiasts to the healthcare arena to follow their passion. He notes, “Illnesses are some of the most challenging circumstances that individuals face. Apart from events like pregnancy, illnesses are some of the worst days you have faced. So, if you are not prepared for understanding their conditions through their point-of-view, careers like healthcare can be immensely challenging.”
Dr. Mark truly brings his passion for health to MemorialCare along with his words of wisdom. Apart from his job as a CEO, Mark is also an avid skier, triathlete, and Ironman competitor. His risk-taking attitude promises to take MemorialCare on a long route of success.
MemorialCare is an organization built for scaling. The group has quadrupled in size in the last ten years and continues to expand with new facilities in Los Angeles and Orange County. The healthcare group plans to add another 3-5 centers to its glowing portfolio over the next 12 months. The company plans to continue its solid journey to cater to growing patient needs like rehabilitation through therapy centers, chronic disease diagnosis through imaging centers, and surgical needs through ambulatory surgical centers.
