Data Storyteller

Under-resourced organizations that adopt telehealth platforms or other patient-facing digital tools rapidly, but not comprehensively, have the potential to increase safety vulnerabilities and decrease access for the most marginalized patients. This brief assessment contains questions that health centers can ask potential vendors to ensure their tools support equitable access and address the needs of the health center's population.

Although health centers have more options than ever to use electronic tools to engage patients in care, selecting those that most effectively further the goal of providing high-quality and efficient patient care is challenging. In this explainer, we consider three types of tools that health centers may invest in: Remote Patient Monitoring, Electronic Patient Engagement, and mHealth Personal Apps. By understanding what they are and how they are implemented, their advantages and disadvantages, and how they align with value-based care and the clinical workflow, health centers can choose the suite of tools that best serve their patient needs.

As health centers have newly established, scaled and/or enhanced their telehealth services during the pandemic year, they have navigated a variety of challenges, including policy and practice changes, logistics of implementation, privacy and security considerations, connectivity issues, ensuring quality services and patient and provider satisfaction. As health centers continue to refine their telehealth services amidst a changing context, the HITEQ Center is pleased to offer a panel of telehealth experts to address health center questions.  Panelists offer expertise in: set up and implementation of telehealth; clinical workflows, roles and training; hybrid care; patient-centered services; remote patient monitoring; telebehavioral health; telehealth optimization, maturity and performance management.

View the HITEQ Center's Telehealth Operations and Quality: Ask Anything  session. The session,  moderated by HITEQ’s Training and Technical Assistance Advisor, Natalie Truesdell, will provide an open forum for health centers to ask panelists their most pressing questions about telehealth services in the health center setting, such as:

• How can we fully integrate telehealth into our overall care delivery model?
• What are the ways in which telehealth may alleviate and/or add to provider burden?
•  Can you describe other health centers’ experiences with the unintended consequences of transitioning to telehealth?
• How do we ensure health equity when refining our telehealth and in-person care?
• What recommendations do you have for patients with limited digital proficiency?
• What might be the best approach to optimizing care for patients with chronic conditions?
• How can we improve our care team communication when so many staff are working remotely?
• What recommendations do you have for quick training of providers on patient interaction through telehealth?
• How can telehealth be more than a ‘transactional’ interaction?
• Can it be used to provide more touchpoints through different levels of care?
• What's the best way to assess telehealth success?

Please note: This session will be focused on telehealth operational and quality questions, and will not cover questions related to telehealth reimbursement, financing or policy changes at the state or federal level.

The session features the following panelists:

• Emma Ansara,  RN, MS, MA, FNP-C, Integrated Care Expert at the HITEQ Center
• Samantha Lippolis, MPA, Physician Practices Telemedicine Advisor & Consultant with Ingenium Digital Health Advisors
• Shane McBride, MBA, Founder & CEO of Chiron Strategy Group
• Christian Milaster, MS, Founder & CEO, Digital Health Transformation Advisor & Consultant with Ingenium Digital Health Advisors

The  60 minute session will start with panelists answering questions submitted by health centers during registration for the event.

Objectives

• Provide information and guidance to health centers across a variety of telehealth topics.
• Share ideas, tactics, and resources for implementing and optimizing telehealth services and virtual care

Learn how to get started. We’ll review what you need to consider when developing your telehealth program, from selecting equipment to policy issues you need to consider. Hear from a FQHC success story on how they did it.

During this e-learning webinar from the Center for Care Innoviations (CCI) learn:
1. How to incorporate remote monitoring into your chronic disease case management efforts.
2. How to effectively engage and activate patients in the achievement of case management goals.
3. How to use community health workers and others to identify and manage high risk chronically ill patients.