Paraguay's Virtual Hospital streamlines prescription renewals via video consultation

Paraguay's Institute of Social Welfare (IPS) is transforming healthcare access with its new Virtual Hospital, which has successfully completed over 300 video consultations for medication renewals in its initial three weeks. This digital initiative targets chronic patients over 55 years old, aiming to streamline a historically cumbersome process.

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The new modality aims - for the moment - to resolve a historically cumbersome procedure: the renewal of protocols for the withdrawal of medications for patients with chronic pathologies.

The virtual hospital's primary goal is to simplify the renewal of prescriptions for patients managing long-term conditions like diabetes and hypertension. These individuals typically need to update their medication protocols every six months. By offering video consultations, the IPS is reducing the need for patients to travel to health centers, thereby saving them time and effort.

During its pilot phase, the Virtual Hospital team actively contacted beneficiaries, sending out 600 messages and making 1,283 phone calls. This outreach resulted in 335 scheduled appointments, with 309 patients successfully renewing their prescriptions through virtual consultations. The service operates Monday to Friday, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.

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The project is in a phase of induction and constant evaluation to receive feedback from doctors and patients.

Looking ahead, the IPS plans to expand the Virtual Hospital's reach. The immediate goal is to scale up to 7,000 monthly video consultations and extend the service to an initial estimated 100,000 chronic patients over 55. Future stages include broadening the age range to include those 40 and older, and eventually opening the system for general clinical attention to any insured individual of working age.

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The goal is to avoid older adults having to face long waits in medical centers or delays in the call center merely for the obtaining of a pharmaceutical renewal document.