Deploying Your Telehealth Platform

Abstract

Telemedicine is a burgeoning industry with potential to enhance patient care and physician outreach. A review of the current literature and legislative laws was conducted along with knowledge from the experience gathered at starting a telehealth platform at Texas Children's Hospital to find the necessary steps for starting a telehealth program. The authors propose their pearls to deploying a capable telehealth platform for the large hospital system. Doing so properly can increase capacity within hospital operations and improve health care economics. Select use-cases can be focused to leverage stakeholder need, while maximizing potential return. Successful deployment of a telehealth platform can be done on a small margin and accrued revenue can be reinvested as the basis for growth. Risk management considerations upfront will help navigate hurdles in the evolving legislative and regulatory landscape. This article presents the authors' stepwise approach for arranging and conducting a teleconsultation between patient and physician along with pearls for risk management considerations to be aware of throughout the process.

Keywords

telehealth - deployment - telemedicine - teleconsultation - tele-device

• References

• 1 Vyas KS, Hambrick HR, Shakir A. , et al. A systematic review of the use of telemedicine in plastic and reconstructive surgery and dermatology. Ann Plast Surg 2017; 78 (06) 736-768
• 2 LeRouge C, Tulu B, Forducey P. The business of telemedicine: strategy primer. Telemed J E Health 2010; 16 (08) 898-909
• 3 Paik AM, Granick MS, Scott S. Plastic surgery telehealth consultation expedites emergency department treatment. J Telemed Telecare 2017; 23 (02) 321-327
• 4 Stefanacci RG. Telemedicine seems to work but payment creates a disconnect. Manag Care 2017; 26 (04) 37
• 5 Helck A, Matzko M, Trumm CG. , et al. Interdisciplinary expert consultation via a teleradiology platform--influence on therapeutic decision-making and patient referral rates to an academic tertiary care center. RoFo Fortschr Geb Rontgenstr Nuklearmed 2009; 181 (12) 1180-1184
• 6 Zhang B. The benefits and risks of telemedicine. Available at: http://www.rmmagazine.com/2016/08/01/the-benefits-and-risks-of-telemedicine/ . Accessed December 12, 2017
• 7 Hall JL, McGraw D. For telehealth to succeed, privacy and security risks must be identified and addressed. Health Aff (Millwood) 2014; 33 (02) 216-221
• 8 Christiansen EK, Skipenes E, Hausken MF, Skeie S, Østbye T, Iversen MM. Shared electronic health record systems: key legal and security challenges. J Diabetes Sci Technol 2017; 11 (06) 1234-1239
• 9 Trout KE, Rampa S, Wilson FA, Stimpson JP. Legal mapping analysis of state telehealth reimbursement policies. Telemed J E Health 2017; 23 (10) 805-814
• 10 Marcoux RM, Vogenberg FR. Telehealth: applications from a legal and regulatory perspective. P&T 2016; 41 (09) 567-570