RWJBarnabas Health Expands Telehealth Network Statewide

RWJBarnabas Health announced a statewide expansion of its telehealth platform this week, extending virtual care options beyond routine follow-up visits into behavioral health counseling and chronic disease management across all of its New Jersey facilities.

The expanded platform allows patients managing conditions like diabetes and hypertension to check in with care teams remotely between in-person visits, with automated alerts flagging concerning vital sign trends for clinical review. The behavioral health component adds virtual counseling appointments aimed at reducing wait times that have grown significantly across the health system's outpatient mental health clinics.

"Our behavioral health waitlists were running six to eight weeks in some counties, which is simply too long for someone in crisis," said RWJBarnabas Health Chief Digital Officer Priscilla Owusu. "Telehealth doesn't solve every access problem, but it lets us see more patients sooner without asking them to drive an hour to the nearest available specialist."

The health system says roughly 40 percent of behavioral health appointments are now conducted virtually, up from just over 10 percent before the expansion. Officials note that rural and suburban patients in Ocean and Sussex counties have shown the highest adoption rates, likely reflecting longer average drive times to in-person specialists.

RWJBarnabas plans to integrate remote patient monitoring devices into the platform next year, allowing chronic disease patients to transmit blood pressure and glucose readings directly to their care teams.