Medical University Centre Mannheim (UMM) goes remote fast

Challenge

COVID-19 disrupts bariatric surgery, affecting current patients and new patient pipeline.

Impact

In just four weeks, Medtronic and the bariatric surgery department make the care pathway remote and contact-free.

Country

Germany

When COVID-19 forced all elective procedures to be suspended in March 2020, the bariatric surgery department at UMM needed to find a way to reduce in-person consultations fast - while keeping the pipeline filled.

Medtronic implemented its Remote Pathway Accelerator, working closely with UMM surgeons, nurses and receptionists to design and operationalise a new remote pathway. And in just four weeks, a fully operational, remote bariatric pathway was set up and running. This enabled the hospital to improve efficiency and free up capacity by:

Shifting all required face-to-face consultations (minimum of four) to remote consultations
Eliminating extra appointments due to missing or incomplete documentation and diagnosics

They also improved their referral numbers from insurers and out-of-state patients.

For patients

the remote pathway offers:

Reduced risk of infection
Improved convenience by eliminating waiting and travel times
Increased access to care through expanded capacity

Due to the success of the project, the hospital also chose to roll out the Remote Pathway Accelerator to even more departments.

"We have been wanting to do this for over 1.5 years. With Medtronic, we had a complete concept and an actionable plan that allowed us to move quickly."

"We thought the main issue was the software tool. Medtrnic helped us understand that there is a lot more to successfully running a remote pathway. What we have now is much more comprehensive and patient friendly."

PD Dr. med. Mirko Otto, Head of Bariatric Surgery, Medical University Centre Mannheim