PRIMARY CARE
Chicago Primary Care Group Reclaimed Over 120 Clinical Hours a Week With Virtual Nurses
"My nurses were spending too much time on paperwork, and our chronic patients were not getting the follow-up they deserved. Bringing in virtual nurses helped take a lot of that off the team. We got our clinical time back, and our care got better for it."
Dr. Mark T., Medical Director
Project Overview
A primary care group in the Chicago area was stretched thin by the work that happens between visits. Its providers and in-house nurses spent hours each day on prior authorizations, documentation, and refill requests, which left little time for the chronic patients who needed steady follow-up. Patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other ongoing conditions were falling out of touch between appointments.
Hiring more clinical staff was its own challenge. The Chicago market is competitive for nurses, and the roles are expensive and slow to fill, so the practice kept absorbing the workload instead of growing the team.
Hiring more clinical staff was its own challenge. The Chicago market is competitive for nurses, and the roles are expensive and slow to fill, so the practice kept absorbing the workload instead of growing the team.
The Solution
MedVirtual placed five credentialed virtual medical staff, including nurse-level care coordinators, to take on the clinical and administrative work that was overloading the in-house team. The staff handled patient information and care coordination, under the direction of the practice's providers. This gave the in-house nurses and providers their clinical time back.
The Results
5
Virtual Medical Staff Hired
14,000+
Patients Managed Annually
120+
Clinical Hours Reclaimed Weekly
The practice extended consistent care to more patients without adding to its in-house clinical headcount.
With the between-visit work handled, providers spent more of their day with patients and the in-house nurses stopped carrying a backlog.
With the between-visit work handled, providers spent more of their day with patients and the in-house nurses stopped carrying a backlog.
Before and After
Task moved to the virtual team
Prior authorizations and referrals
Documentation and charting
Patient portal and inbox messages
Refill processing
Chronic-care outreach
Total
Weekly hours reclaimed
~30
~35
~20
~13
~20
~13
What the in-house
team got back
team got back
Faster approvals
without nurse follow-up
without nurse follow-up
Same-day notes,
no after-hours catch-up
no after-hours catch-up
Fewer interruptions
during patient care
during patient care
Routine requests handled
Time for patient follow-up
More clinical time with patients
MedVirtual's Staff Approach
The virtual team took on the clinical and administrative work that an in-house care team handles,
all under the direction of the practice's providers.
all under the direction of the practice's providers.
Coordinating Care for Chronic and High-Risk Patients
Virtual nurses ran between-visit outreach for patients with ongoing conditions, following the care plans set by the practice's providers. They checked in on medication adherence, gathered updates ahead of appointments, and flagged anything that needed a provider's attention.
Clearing Prior Authorizations and Referrals
Virtual staff handled the prior authorizations and referrals that had been slowing care and piling up on the in-house team. Turnaround dropped from three to five days down to same day in most cases. Patients received their approved treatments and referrals without the wait.
Keeping Documentation and Records Current
Virtual staff supported charting, updated records in the practice's EHR, and kept patient files current and complete. Providers walked into each visit with up-to-date information. Documentation that used to lag for days was completed the same day.
Managing Refills and Patient Messages
Virtual staff processed refill requests and managed the steady flow of patient portal messages under provider direction. This cleared one of the most constant interruptions from the in-house team's day. Patients got faster answers to their routine questions.
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The Next Step
With the daily clinical workload steadied, the practice is expanding the virtual team into remote patient monitoring for its highest-risk patients and broader preventive-care outreach. MedVirtual reviews performance with the practice each month and adjusts roles as the patient panel grows. The next phase focuses on reaching more patients with proactive care between visits.
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