The American Hospital Association’s (AHA) https://www.aha.org Center for Health Innovation recently explored key issues in the report “Telehealth: a Path to Virtual Integrated Care”. The report is based on information and insights obtained from hospital and health system leaders and healthcare experts, surveys of providers, and data from research articles.
Issues include studying:
- The flexibility of delivery platforms and how they fit into integrated care
- Why telehealth is critical to healthcare transformation
- The state of telehealth and opportunities for growth in hospitals
- How providers can build capacity to expand access, improve outcomes, and reduce costs
Areas included in the report show where telehealth is expanding and being used:
- Telehealth services are used to provide pharmacy services, chronic care management, and tele-stroke services
- Tele-ICU tools provide 24/7 intensivist support for intensive care
- Specialty telemedicine consults are provided
- Telemedicine is used to do diagnostic screening for diabetes-related eye disease and to help people with sleep disorders
- Tele-psychiatry is used to help people
- Telehealth is used to help people experiencing opioid-use disorders
The report also discusses the flexibility of delivery platforms and how they fit into integrated care, why telehealth is critical to healthcare transformation, and how providers can build capacity to expand access, improve outcomes, and reduce costs. The report also discusses the future for hospitals and health systems and how to increase their mature telehealth capabilities so that hospitals will be well positioned to meet patient demands for digital tools.
Go to https://www.aha.org/system/files/media/file/2019/02/MarketInsights_TeleHealthReport.pdf to view the report.