MINNEAPOLIS – April 20, 2020 – There is a global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), putting doctors, nurses and extended care teams at risk for contracting COVID-19. At the same time, patients are under intense isolation and without their families – prompting leading medical associations like the American Medical Association to call for expedition in implementing telemedicine. Jamf, the standard in Apple Enterprise Management, today announced a new telehealth workflow aimed to protect providers while still connecting patients to care and their communities – Virtual Visits.
With Virtual Visits powered by Jamf, healthcare organizations can configure and instantly deploy third-party conferencing platforms like Cisco Webex, Zoom and Microsoft Teams to iPad or iPhone. Providers are able to easily virtually round to their patients, and patients can simply connect with loved ones outside the hospital – without IT ever having to touch the device. Further, once patients are discharged, Virtual Visits can help to automatically digitally wipe the device to prepare it for the next patient. This new workflow limits the amount of PPE care teams use during each patient encounter, but still enables them to provide quality care. Patients are also able to connect with their families, which can provide critical emotional support during this difficult time.
“Imagine the headache of having to uniquely configure and set up video conference calls between patients, hospital rooms and doctors, then train each party how to access and use the technology. Virtual Visits powered by Jamf can turn this into one click or tap,” said Adam Mahmud, Healthcare Solution Manager at Jamf. “Jamf has a strong history in helping bring the power of the iPad to the patient bedside to help them stay connected, and Virtual Visits is the next step in helping keep the frontline workers of our hospitals safe while still empowering them to provide an excellent care experience.”
Dependent on the video platform of choice, Virtual Visits can enable healthcare organizations to:
- Create unique video conferencing accounts for patient visits: Jamf Pro can trigger an automated workflow to create unique, randomized accounts in a third-party video conferencing platform. Account information is temporarily stored in Jamf Pro for each patient visit, and automatically refreshed for the next patient. This removes the complexity of accounts, logins and passwords for the patient, maintains privacy for providers and ensures security by preventing inadvertent calls.
- Deploy accounts for use on iPad or iPhone: Once conferencing accounts are stored in Jamf Pro, they are setup for use on devices provided to patients. Patients are then notified when the provider initiates the meeting and can join the video conference with a single tap.
- Create a simple workflow for providers or patient families: To initiate a meeting, doctors and other clinical staff can access a video conferencing directory from their computer or mobile device. Then, by searching the directory by room number from the patient’s record, the provider can access a “meet now” link to auto-join the patient’s video conference. Patients are also able to connect their families through their device by sending a link directly to them.
In response to COVID-19, UCSD Health transformed their health care delivery by turning the majority of their in-person care appointments into telehealth visits. As part of their telehealth strategy, UCSDH implemented Virtual Visits powered by Jamf in mid-April and now have hundreds of iPads configured for inpatient video visits across the campus. This allows their providers to connect with patients from a safe distance.
Virtual Visits is the latest workflow Jamf has added to its healthcare offerings. Also with Jamf, healthcare organizations can automatically enroll and configure new Apple devices remotely then manage them seamlessly through patient intake and discharge. Through Jamf Healthcare Listener, an electronic medical record integration to Jamf Pro, HL7 ADT messages (e.g. discharge, transfer) can automatically trigger remote commands to digitally wipe a patient bedside device. Alternatively, Jamf also offers Jamf Reset, an app that can be used to erase and re-configure the device with a single tap. Organizations can easily manage their devices with configuration profiles, policies and smart targeting. With the ability to automate these tasks remotely, organizations can stay current, in compliance and secure.
About Jamf
Jamf, the standard in Apple Enterprise Management, extends the legendary Apple experience people love to businesses, schools and government organizations through its software and the largest online community of IT admins focused exclusively on Apple in the world, Jamf Nation. To learn more, visit: www.jamf.com.
