Dr Annie Prasad to launch ‘revolutionary’ virtual hospital in July
LOS ANGELES: In what a leading physician says will be “revolutionary” for health care, the first virtual medical hospital ward in the State will launch next month.
The private Mt Sinai Virtual Hospital will run a sub-acute virtual medical hospital ward, based out of a small command centre in Subiaco.
While the State Government has announced a virtual emergency department will be trialled for aged care patients from July 1, Mt Sinia will be the first virtual ward for non-emergency care.
The service aims to be a one-stop shop for services including initial assessments and follow-up appointments as well as imaging, pathology, wound care and IV therapy.
The hospital is set to launch on July 3, with a team of nurses travelling to the patient’s home and using a device known as tytocare for a specialist to provide care via video call.
The hospital is being founded by experienced physician Dr Annie Prasad – who is currently based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and at St John of God in Subiaco – and will serve as the virtual hospital’s CEO and medical director.
“We will have nurses and we will have a first-of-its-kind mobile port, which will drive to the patient’s home,” Dr Prasad said.
Dr Prasad said the virtual hospital had about 15 patients lined up already but hoped to expand to 50 within six months.
Patients will be able to contact the virtual hospital directly or be referred by an ED or their doctor.
Dr Prasad said the service would help alleviate pressure on hospital beds, where patients were being discharged early because their conditions were not serious enough and were then returning to EDs at a later date
“If the patients are suitable for our centre, we send our nurse there and they will go and assess the patient, along with the specialist with a video call. Then we can initiate therapy within that consultation,” she said.
“I believe this is going to revolutionise the whole healthcare system because the way we are going is unsustainable.
“Hospitals are very important, but the beds should be for acute problems, surgeries, and emergencies.”
The physician said the service would also be a game changer for elderly patients, especially in nursing homes.
“These patients can be managed within their own environment. And we as a specialist team can go in, provide them the necessary care and prevent them from coming into the hospital, sitting in the waiting room and getting delayed treatment,” Dr Prasad said.
The physician said she hoped governments would invest in more virtual hospitals to make them more affordable and other providers would replicate similar services.
“I think if especially the government invest into this model of care, we can change the way we do medicine,” she said.
“I was sick and tired of talking in different government forums, so I’ve decided to take a small step. Hopefully people will understand and appreciate that there are different ways of offering care.
“At this point in time, we will be charging $899 per visit. I know a lot of patients cannot afford that.”
Dr Prasad ran a telehealth service for a year during COVID and found high demand for the model.
She said the hospital was named after Mt Sinai because she believed the model was “at the pinnacle of medical innovation and research”.
“My vision is for the hospital to evolve as a research and development centre for healthcare needs,” she said.
A WA Health spokesperson said the Department welcomed medical innovation.
They said the state government’s virtual emergency medicine pilot would give patients the option of being seen by a clinician via technology in the comfort of their own home or aged care facility rather than waiting in an ED.