Designing Care Around the Consumer: How St. Luke’s is Rethinking Access in Rural Idaho 

Abby Losinski, Director of Telehealth at St. Luke’s Health System, is helping redefine what healthcare access looks like in rural communities. With over 18 years of experience across clinical, technical, and operational roles, she’s leading programs that bring care directly to patients whether at home, in a library, or even through their local fire department. In this episode, Abby shares how her team is scaling virtual care, building trust in the community, and applying a startup mindset inside a large health system. 

St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho faces a tough challenge: nearly every county it serves is designated as a healthcare provider shortage area. To tackle that, Abby Losinski and her team are rethinking how and where care is delivered. They’ve created a 24/7 on-demand virtual care service that supports everything from mental health needs to medication refills, no matter whether the patient is established with St. Luke’s or not. 

Beyond urgent care, Abby has built a network of “bridge programs” to help patients waiting to establish care. These programs are proactively offered through ED referrals, virtual intake, and central scheduling, with one simple but powerful question: “Would you like to establish care today?” 

Perhaps most creatively, St. Luke’s is meeting patients where they are. Telehealth hubs are being placed in libraries, YMCAs, and even fire department trucks. These hubs help people who don’t have internet, technology, or privacy at home to still access care with dignity and ease. Local staff are trained as digital navigators, and a nurse practitioner visits each hub regularly to build trust and provide real-time support. 

Abby’s consumer-first approach is reshaping access across the system, and showing what’s possible when health systems are willing to move fast, listen deeply, and design around people’s real lives. 

Abby Losinski is the Director of Telehealth at St. Luke’s Health System in Idaho, where she is dedicated to enhancing patient access through innovative virtual care solutions. She has been instrumental in developing St. Luke’s programs allowing patients to receive remote care from home, school, or other community settings, thereby reducing the need for in-person and emergency visits. Losinski’s leadership emphasizes a patient-centered approach to virtual care, ensuring telehealth is integrated as a core component of St. Luke’s services. 

Losinski has over 18 years of experience in healthcare. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management and a Master of Healthcare Administration from Colorado State University. In addition, she is a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and a Certified Epic Software builder, bringing a comprehensive clinical and technical background to her role. Her combined expertise in healthcare leadership, clinical practice, technology, and telehealth strategy enables her to lead St. Luke’s in providing accessible and efficient healthcare options for patients across Idaho and the surrounding areas.