Kel Mohror
Government HealthIT posted a three-part series titled OHN's [Oregon Health Network] 12 Best Practices for HIT, Part 1: Strategy and Planning, September 19, 2011, Vanessa McLaughlin, MPH and Christopher Thoming, MD.
This post excerpts “food for thought and action” from the series, which emphasizes telemedicine HIT.
"The emergency physician, upon seeing the child, contacted the local pediatrician who suspected Meningococcemia, a disease that could have caused the child’s death within six hours."
"An immediate consultation via live video connection, with a Pediatric Emergency physician who diagnosed and provided treatment recommendations immediately."
"Proprietary programs, equipment and technology networks that often lack compatibility, standardization and common clinical protocols are hurdles that may be overcome through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and CMS’ Triple Aim* goals."
*simultaneous pursuit of three aims:
- Improving the experience of care
- Improving the health of populations and
- Reducing per capita costs of healthcare.
"Five essential elements in the strategic growth and development of telemedicine programs are:
1. Telemedicine and telehealth delivery strategies must be in the context of the organization’s mission, vision and goals and plan) and championed by senior leadership.
2. Structure telemedicine as a business line that will enable any provider to incorporate telemedicine in her / his ongoing practice.
3. Resist the temptation to call an individual telemedicine program your enterprise level solution, because it is not.
4. ‘Who are you going to call?’ Groups like Oregon Health Network, HIE initiatives and Beacons are conveners of regional health care initiatives that provide the secure connectivity needed to answer the ‘who are you going to call?’ question.
5. Money in your pocket. Increasingly health plans are paying when billed for remote patient consults. Medicare/Medicaid continues to support rural access, which fits well with health system outreach strategies."
"Telemedicine and telehealth delivery is no longer about-
- testing to see if the gadgets, technology and networks work or
- surveying providers and patients to measure their satisfaction with the convenience."
"Telemedicine and telehealth delivery is about using technology innovations to enhance the clinical moment, enabling-
- patients to receive continuous care in their home or local community and
- health care systems to discharge patients to a transition team that will follow their care for the next stage of returning to health."
“Telemedicine and telehealth delivery is also about connecting across the distance to build collegial relationships that enables providers to trust one another and upgrade the acuity of care in a remote community so patients are appropriately triaged and transferred to an emergency department."
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