UCHealth’s virtual health center: How Colorado’s largest health system creates and integrates technology into patient care

Abstract

In the face of formidable healthcare challenges, such as staffing shortages and rising costs, technology has emerged as a crucial ally in enhancing patient care. UCHealth, Colorado’s largest health system, has pioneered the integration of technology into patient care through its Virtual Health Center (VHC). In this Comment, we explore UCHealth’s journey in creating a centralized hub that harnesses innovative digital health solutions to address patient care needs across its 12 hospitals, spanning over 600,000 emergency department visits and nearly 150,000 inpatient and observation encounters annually. The VHC has proven to be a transformative force, providing high-quality care at scale, reducing staff burden, and establishing new career pathways in virtual health. The transformation process involved multiple steps: (a) identifying a need, (b) vetting within health system solutions, (c) searching for industry solutions, and scrutinizing these through meetings with our innovations center, (d) piloting the solution, and (e) sustaining the solution by integrating them within the electronic health record (EHR).