Sanford Health Virtual Care: Expansion & Benefits
Sanford Health is actively broadening its virtual care network to bridge healthcare disparities, especially within rural communities. This strategic move, discussed at the Reuters Digital Health conference, is designed to combat workforce shortages and enhance patient access. With current virtual visits already saving patients an average of 176 miles in travel—and, in some cases, allowing expectant mothers to recieve remote support and avoid needless ER visits—Sanford Health is innovating. Their new virtual care center will also support training and new technology infrastructure.News Directory 3 knows that by integrating virtual and in-person visits, Sanford maintains the continuity of care.Discover what’s next for this expanded approach.
Sanford Health Expands Virtual Care to Improve Rural Access
Updated May 29, 2025
Sanford Health is increasing its investment in virtual care to combat workforce shortages and improve access to healthcare in rural areas. Teh Sioux Falls, S.D.-based system, with locations across the Midwest, views virtual care as an integral model for training, retention, and community health.
Jeremy Cauwels,sanford’s chief medical officer,discussed the initiative at the Reuters Digital Health conference in Nashville. Sanford physicians across 79 specialties have utilized virtual care this year. These virtual visits save patients an average of 176 miles in travel, according to Cauwels.
“thats half a tank of gas for some vehicles, and half a day’s worth of work,” he said.
cauwels emphasized that virtual care not only offers convenience but also fills critical access gaps. He noted that a decade ago, five community hospitals near Bemidji, Minn., each had at least one primary care doctor delivering babies. Now,that number is zero.
To combat this,Sanford Health is deploying virtual tools,including portable ultrasound and vitals kits,in emergency departments to remotely assess and support pregnant women.
“We’re able to virtually connect to not only Mom, but to those local emergency rooms, and make the decision from 100 miles away as to whether or not Mom needs to be shipped to Bemidji for the only obstetrics care in the region, or whether or not she can stay back home and recover,” Cauwels explained.
He added that alternating virtual and in-person visits maintains continuity of care and compliance with obstetric guidelines, leading to improved maternal and fetal health. Increased dialogue through virtual means helps prevent avoidable ER visits by catching issues early.
Cauwels said that tools improving patient follow-up and monitoring also ease physicians’ emotional burden, boosting job satisfaction and retention.
Sanford is committed to expanding virtual care’s reach, having built a physical hub to support virtual care training and technology infrastructure.
“People would say, ‘You don’t need a building to do that.’ We need a building as we need to be able to teach it,” Cauwels remarked.”And we need to be able to house some of our hardware and software… we need a place where they can sit down and actually have the conversations they need to have… and actually sit down and talk to the patient so they can understand how things really felt in that exchange.”
This virtual care center provides clinicians a space to learn, reflect, and engage in patient care using technology, he said.
Through investments in both people and technology,Sanford aims to create a more sustainable future for providers and a more accessible system for patients,improving rural healthcare access.
What’s next
Sanford Health plans to further expand its virtual care capabilities, focusing on innovative technologies and training programs to reach more patients in underserved areas and address ongoing healthcare challenges.