TELEHEALTH | PRECISECAREMEDICAL.COM

 Virtual care is a good place to be. According to Brookings, a large reason healthcare funding shrinks during a recession is due to declining household incomes. Evidence shows a segment of the population simply avoids or puts off health care altogether, leading to lower health spending and obvious health risks for patients. With virtual health, doctors can meet patients where they are, increasing access to care. Furthermore, the lower cost of a virtual visit encourages patients to get the care they need, when they need it, and offsetting some of the negative financial and health impacts caused by a recession.

 As the new norm for health care shifts, virtual visits, virtual waiting rooms, and telehealth have become the “meet patients where they are” solution hospitals need. This abrupt demand, however, has left many hospitals wondering where to begin. Fortunately, The National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers has provided a step-by-step guide with questions to consider as you plan , as well as a sample business proposal that you can view HERE.

 There are several grants available for virtual care programs as well as various resources surrounding COVID-19, which you can explore by clicking the links below. When you search these databases, be sure to include various phrases such as “telehealth” or “COVID” to maximize your opportunity for funding

 COVID-19 Telehealth Program – In April 2020, the FCC released $200 million in emergency funding for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program for eligible nonprofit and public health care providers to help offer connected care services to patients at their homes or mobile locations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, there is still $90 million in funding available.

 Health Resources and Services Administration Telehealth Programs – The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), provides a list of active and inactive grants.

 Telehealth Resource Centers – Choose your state to contact your telehealth resource center for state-specific funding opportunities.

 Building_telehealth_teamAs your hospital considers telemedicine as a means to deliver expanded and convenient healthcare, it is important to gain an understanding of the key players in a virtual care program and the optimal team structure for successful implementation before moving forward.

 In the following section, we will address the importance of a clinical champion for your virtual care program and provide the key qualities and roles of a successful telehealth champion. Guided by research from AMA, we will also explore telehealth team structure, as well as the roles and responsibilities within a virtual care implementation team and telemedicine staff and care teams. We will conclude with a definitive array of best practices and training resources, answering questions such as:

 A telehealth or virtual care champion, sometimes known as the clinician champion, is the rudder that steers as well as the sail that propels virtual care implementation and improvement operations. Champions are enthusiastic individuals who promote and support your virtual care program. They wholeheartedly believe that a virtual care program will benefit the organization, improve patient care, and increase healthcare access for those who would otherwise not receive care.

 In a whitepaper by Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center, comprised of hospital surveys addressing identification and development of telehealth champions, one respondent commented,

 “My experience has been that the clinical champion believes in the value of telemedicine for health care delivery. Having said that, the secret is to convince clinical staff that this is a win/win situation for both the patient and provider. Administration is ultimately responsible for thoughtful development and implementation of telemedicine services. If done properly, the clinical staff is engaged in an efficient and effective healthcare delivery model that benefits patients, providers and the organization as a whole.”

 A champion will often reveal themselves during the initial phase of telehealth considerations by consistently pushing the need for a telehealth strategy. Sometimes telehealth champions develop over time, as Eugene Somphone, MD, says in the Healthcare IT News article, Telehealth heroes: meet the physician champions of video visits,

 “I was initially drawn into telemedicine, not by choice, but because our health plan decided to offer the service as an embedded benefit,” he said. “However, once I learned more, I immediately recognized the tremendous potential in terms of convenience, access and cost. I wanted to be on the forefront of this revolution in healthcare.“

 In either case, key champion characteristics are essentially the same, and a consistent theme that consistently draws in champions is seeing the immense value in improving patient health care delivery virtually.

 Upholds and educates staff on the core values of the telehealth program for the organization

 Networks with hospitals, clinics, other virtual care champions and telehealth support organizations to gain and share industry knowledge and resources

 Coordinator and communicator of virtual care needs between departments, including clinical staff, IT and management

 During the implementation phase, you will want to carefully select the members of your care team. Though it is completely dependent on your hospital’s needs, according to AMA, care team and staff members for telehealth often include the following Telehealth Clinical Roles and Responsibilities.

 Is familiar with telehealth and suggests virtual care as an option to patients when appropriate

Telehealth

  Front Desk Staff / Scheduler

 According to the AMA’s Telehealth Implementation Playbook, which includes a vast amount of helpful resources such as worksheets, guidance on team engagement, kickoff meeting agendas and more, telehealth strategies should organize their stakeholders into four distinct teams for implementation: core, leadership, advisory, and implementation.

 In Becker’s Health IT article, 10 Best Practices for Implementing Telemedicine in Hospitals, Shelley Palumbo, Chief Administrative Officer of the Center for Health and Technology at UC Davis Health System, says, “Training is a key component of a successful program.” Ms. Palumbo expands on this further by saying,

 “Telehealth technology isn’t that difficult to integrate, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for training. Each of our practitioners goes through a hands-on program to learn how to use the equipment prior to seeing patients via telehealth. This enables practitioners to become comfortable with the video and audio components and discuss any remaining questions or concerns.”

 Training is essential for your staff and, more importantly, for the safety and satisfaction of your patients. Training should be provided to all staff members who are expected to participate in virtual visits, telehealth, or virtual waiting room engagements, including the telehealth coordinator, care team members, and technical, billing, coding, and compliance staff. Whether you are just getting started with implementing telehealth or virtual waiting rooms, or you are looking for resources to further educate and train your staff, there are a variety of resources available to help.

 Training is a critical component to the health of your eVisit program. The frequency completely depends on your hospital’s needs, and it is the responsibility of the telehealth administration to decide the best schedule for training. If your program is experiencing a high turnover rate, frequent training may be necessary, perhaps weekly or even monthly. If you have a well-established, stable telemedicine program, quarterly or annual training may be suitable.

 According to the NRTRC, in their extensive white paper Telehealth Network Training, there are a variety of methods hospitals and clinics use to train their staff. Care facilities are encouraged explore several options and ultimately choose a method the staff is most responsive to and that proves to be most effective.

 According to the NRTRC, in their extensive white paper Telehealth Network Training, there are a variety of methods hospitals and clinics use to train their staff. Care facilities are encouraged explore several options and ultimately choose a method the staff is most responsive to and that proves to be most effective.

 According to Exploring Critical Success for Telehealth Implementation, training should include a variety of the following:

 Site-to-site testing to ensure all staff is comfortable with the connection process, as well as ensuring the functional readiness of your network

 Staff members should make test connections regularly, particularly with remote employees. This will allow the opportunity for staff to become acquainted with each other and to set expectations to ensure smooth encounters.

 Staff should perform mock patient sessions, supervised by trainers and administrative staff, to evaluate efficacy. These trial runs provide administrators an opportunity to witness key elements of a virtual visit so they can revise or implement new protocols.

 Periods where staff can test and utilize new virtual care equipment. This relaxed environment builds familiarity with new products and can assist with identifying necessary process improvements prior to practice use.

 To build familiarity with telehealth tools, have experts regularly demonstrate for your team how the auxiliary equipment works

 If you have remote staff, consider site visits to see their operating conditions, share news, discuss and address environmental challenges, and strengthen communication. This is also a great opportunity to identify other training needs.

 Listed below are a few recommended options for telehealth training. You should also connect with your regional telehealth resource center HERE, who can help you identify training programs or find specific resources to suit your needs.

 In these one-day fast track courses accredited by the American Telemedicine Association and taught by national experts in virtual care and business of telemedicine, you will learn about developing a telemedicine program and telemedicine clinical applications.