Kaiser Permanente Southern California members have completed more than 550,000 e-visits since January, 2020, marking a significant growth in patient utilization of virtual tools and visits.
E-visits provide treatment or clinical triage to members virtually, using symptom-based questionnaires. Kaiser Permanente members can access E-visits via kp.org or the KP mobile app.
Expanding E-visits to Meet Demand: a COVID-19 Silver Lining
Today, KPSC offers e-visits for common symptoms including sore throat, rash, and urinary tract infection. Our e-visit capacity was greatly expanded to meet the need for providing safe, effective care during the COVDI-19 pandemic. New types of e-visits were introduced for COVID-19 concerns, including guidance on antibody testing, limited diagnostic testing, and off work/school notes. This expansion is one of many “silver linings” that resulted when Kaiser Permanente pivoted to meet the challenges posed by the coronavirus surge. 
This virtual care tool replaces face-to-face appointments and improves the patient experience by providing more 24/7 virtual options, and greater care affordability.
Seven teams across KP – as well as the Ambulatory Care Re-Entry workstream from the “2-6-12: Our Path Forward” initiative – collaborated to build, launch, and expand our e-visit offerings.
As part of the multi-specialty work, sponsored by Ed Ellison, MD, executive medical director, SCPMG, the e-visits team is working with physicians across 11 different specialties to develop several new e-visits, focusing on mental health, women’s health, pediatrics, and much more.
For more information about e-visits, access the physician FAQs here, or schedule an e-visit via this link: kp.org/e-visits2.
