Page 6 Telehealth and Remote Patient Monitoring RPM Provider Case Studies 2013 Ideal Life
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■ Offer real-time education to patients ■ Telehealth technology is an enabling
during a teachable moment. This tool, not an end unto itself; focus
increases self-management. on patient services versus telehealth
■ Make sure the patient’s primary equipment. Improving wound care
care physician is educated about the or chronic disease management is a
program, so they can reinforce its value quality initiative, not an information
when the patient visits them in the technology initiative.
office. ■ The connection between the clinical
Process Redesign and Improvement staff and the patient is critical to the
success of the telehealth program.
■ Telehealth clearly impacts the efficacy Integrate visits to the home into the
of health care delivery at every point clinical program to reinforce the
in the care continuum, providing the importance of using the telehealth
opportunity to reduce readmissions equipment to the patient.
and improve the quality of patient ■ Share clinical outcome data with all
care coordination. In nursing facilities, applicable practitioners across the
telehealth can transform the way nurses full care continuum. Analyze the
do their work and enable continuous data, along with the financial data, to
improvement in quality and outcomes validate system cost savings, and report
while containing costs. Consider how regularly to the physician group and
telehealth will change care processes senior leadership.
and workflows, and redesign processes
to take advantage of telehealth data ■ Establish physician pro re nata (PRN),
in driving efficiencies and ongoing as needed, orders for telehealth patients
process improvements. to maximize efficiency of monitoring.
■ When selecting a telehealth solution, ■ If managing the telehealth inventory,
take the integration of telehealth make sure to apply an organized
data into the electronic health record approach to inventory management
(EHR), which is not straightforward, including signing the equipment in
into account. Partner with a and out. Make sure the telehealth
vendor who not only implements system allows inventory to easily
interoperability standards, but is move between patients. Ask telehealth
willing to work with others, like the partners for a process to effectively
EHR vendor. manage the equipment.
■ Work with the telehealth partner to
establish a clinical program design
that will have maximum clinical and
financial impact.
LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technologies (CAST)
