Patient engagement plays a crucial role in healthcare delivery, influencing treatment adherence, satisfaction, and outcomes. However, establishing trust and collaboration can be challenging, particularly in urgent care settings where patients may have limited interaction time with providers. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of VisualDx in promoting patient engagement and satisfaction during the clinical decision-making process.
The Challenge:
Penn Medicine faced a growing challenge: provider shortages and the need to expand patient access to specialty ambulatory care. To address this, the health system hired a significant number of advanced practice providers (APPs), including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. However, most of these hires were recent graduates with limited clinical experience, particularly in visual diagnosis fields like dermatology.
Without proper training, new APPs risked over-ordering lab tests, radiology studies, and specialist consultations, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies. Penn Medicine’s leadership recognized the need for a scalable, effective solution to upskill APPs and support their transition into independent practice.
34% of inflammatory rash cases are correctly diagnosed by non-dermatologists.
The Solution:
To bridge the knowledge gap, Penn Medicine turned to VisualDx, a trusted clinical decision support tool designed to enhance clinical accuracy. Given that dermatology and other visually diagnosed conditions are often underrepresented in APP training, VisualDx offered a crucial resource to build confidence in recognizing and managing these conditions.
To ensure smooth implementation, Penn Medicine collaborated closely with VisualDx’s Implementation Team to integrate the tool seamlessly into APP workflows—both in the clinic and at the point of care. The Client Success Team also played a vital role in driving adoption, providing ongoing support and engagement strategies to maximize utilization.
The Results: Confident APPs, Efficient Care, and Improved Patient Access
With VisualDx readily accessible via desktop and mobile, APPs at Penn Medicine gained:
- Improved Clinical Confidence: New APPs could independently assess and manage dermatologic and visually diagnosed conditions with greater assurance.
- Reduced Unnecessary Testing & Referrals: By leveraging VisualDx’s guided differential diagnosis, APPs minimized unnecessary lab and imaging orders.
- Seamless Integration & Adoption: Tailored implementation strategies ensured that APPs could access VisualDx effortlessly within their existing workflows.
- Better Patient Outcomes: Enhanced clinical accuracy led to faster, more effective patient care.
By strategically leveraging VisualDx, Penn Medicine successfully upskilled its new APP workforce, ultimately improving efficiency, reducing costs, and expanding patient access to high-quality specialty care.
Looking for a proven way to upskill APPs, improve accuracy, and reduce unnecessary testing? Contact VisualDx today to learn how we can help integrate decision support into your clinical workflows.