PETACH TIKVAH, Israel – Beilinson Hospital, one of Israel’s largest medical centers and part of the Clalit Health Services network – the country’s largest healthcare provider, has opened Beilinson NEXT, a virtual hospital offering a wide array of online medical services that can be accessed by those living all over the country. Beilinson NEXT’s services are available to anyone in Israel, irrespective of their healthcare service provider with a referral and a Form 17, without additional fees.

“The war has made us rethink how medical care is delivered to our patients and increasingly, there is a need for remote medical services,” said Beilinson Hospital CEO Dr. Eitan Wirtheim. “Our top priorities remain bringing top of the line medical and patient care and Beilinson NEXT allows us to do so in the most accessible way possible as patients can remain in the comfort of their own home and be treated by our physicians.”

“Through Beilinson NEXT, we can treat someone who lives in the North or the South and would otherwise have to think about taking time off from work to see our specialists. We can now treat them while they are sitting at their kitchen table or their desk at work,” he added.

Since October 7, the hospital has seen spikes in virtual visits exceeding 50 percent in areas such as ophthalmology, genetics, urology and dermatology. Through Beilinson NEXT, the hospital offers a range of innovative technologies that enable the examination, diagnosis and monitoring of patients from their homes. Additional technologies and services will be added in the coming months. 

Currently, patients can access Beilinson’s world-class physicians in its oncology, hemato-oncology, hematology, genetics, ophthalmology, dermatology, neurology, gynecology, obstetrics and kidney transplant departments as well as in areas such as clinical nutrition and diet therapy, physiotherapy, speech rehabilitation and social work, providing instruction and practice via individual and group online video sessions. It also offers in-home ultrasounds for pregnant women, enabling independent fetal scanning and transmitting the scan results to a 24/7 staffed center at Beilinson. 

It also offers smart sensors for patients suffering from heart failure. The sensors transmit real-time data to physicians who check that the patient’s cardiac functioning is balanced. Other services include home hospitalization for a patient who recently visited an emergency room. Once they return home from the Emergency Department, they are monitored by a dedicated team at Beilinson NEXT who conduct virtual visits and monitor the patient 24/7 while they are recovering at home, all free of charge.

Lastly, it offers a suite of patient healthcare education modules, including treating wounds, diabetes, heart failure, Crohn's disease, and guiding families on geriatric, dementia, and other matters. 

“Today’s patients prefer medical services when and where it’s convenient for them – at home, in the car on the way to work, as part of their daily routine – and we created Beilinson NEXT because the hospital is no longer just a physical facility where one comes to receive medical services. We must adapt to our patients’ changing needs and we can provide top-notch healthcare to them no matter where they are physically located,” said Clalit Health Services CEO Eli Cohen.

“We are proud that Beilinson is a leader in this area and believe this trend will grow and that other hospitals will follow suit,” he added.