Telehealth Integration and Optimization Toolkit
CONTENTS
How will this Toolkit help me?
This Toolkit will help you:
- Identify types of telehealth services
- Employ efficient telehealth workflows
- Understand the impact of key regulations
Telehealth Integration and Optimization Toolkit
Improve patient care through virtual health care delivery.
Introduction
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, an aging population, geographic and sociodemographic disparities in access to care, and health care professional workforce shortages drove the desire for virtual care. With the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), telehealth services became critical to ensure access to care, reduce patient and health care provider exposure to disease, protect vulnerable populations, conserve personal protective equipment, and improve clinical outcomes. As a result, the PHE and related federal and state waivers, executive orders, and legislation exponentially accelerated the adoption of telehealth.
While the PHE may eventually expire, many practices have now experienced the benefits of telehealth. A recent American Medical Association survey revealed that 70% of physicians stated that their organization would likely continue using telehealth in the future. Patient satisfaction rates with telehealth services are also high, and physicians concur that the patient experience is enhanced by telehealth.
However, the nationwide adoption and growth of telehealth led many practices to revert to the “doctor does it all” model of practice—an approach that is neither sustainable nor effective. This Toolkit and the related AMA STEPS Forward® Toolkit on Telehealth and Team-Based Care describe STEPS to successfully integrate and optimize telehealth in your practice with team-based care models and workflows in mind.
Access the complete Toolkit
Learn how to integrate and optimize telehealth in your practice in a sustainable way with the complete Toolkit PDF.