《SevenStepsofTelehealthPlanningforProgramSuccess》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《SevenStepsofTelehealthPlanningforProgramSuccess（6页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、Seven Steps of Telehealth Planning for Program Success A document to assist in the planning of telehealth and telemedicine projects for UC Health and associates.Adopted from the original document by Samuel G. Burgiss, Ph.D. Evaluate Needs Develop Care Services Plan Develop Business Plan Plan Technol
2、ogy Train Personnel Test Care and Technology Plans Evaluate Outcomes Step 1: Evaluate Needs Evaluation of needs is the most critical step in telehealth planning. Decisions made in this step will affect the entire program. As a planner in the organization, you will answer the question “Why do we need
3、 telehealth? You and your colleagues should begin by first considering the patients that you serve.Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes and congestive heart disease are in need of almost continuous care. Medical services need to be available in their community and often in their home in o
4、rder to keep their diseases under control, and to prevent exacerbation and co-morbidity. Telehealth can bring specialty healthcare services to the citizens of communities in need. The next consideration in evaluating needs is the doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers. Consider the followin
5、g questions: If a physician, nurse, or other medical provider is providing care to a patient using telehealth, what does that clinician or nurse need to make the delivery of care effective and efficient? What information and communication does a referring physician need? Do the clinicians travel bet
6、ween facilities? What if one day travel to a partner hospital could be eliminated by using telemedicine technologies such as simple videoconferencing? Providers in some organizations use telehealth technology to participate in grand rounds at medical schools and to present their cases for collaborat
7、ion with faculty members. Participation in distance learning can reduce clinician isolation and increase satisfaction.The final consideration of need is for the organization. Your organization must be financially viable in order to continue providing services to your patients. Telehealth should not
8、be a detriment to the financial status of the organization. It should be planned so that its return on investment to the organization will be realized.THE POINT: Identify the problem that may be solved using telehealth. Step 2: Develop a Care Services Plan In developing the Care Services Plan, you s
9、hould consider the needs identified in the previous step, determine which services will be offered, and how they will be delivered using telehealth. In this step you must consider the source of medical services through telehealth (who are your clinical assets), how those services will be delivered,
10、the location of the providers, the location of the patients, and the guidelines and protocols for delivering these services. This step also includes consideration of telehealth technology features used in delivering the services, such as the quality of audio and video transmission, special instrumen
11、ts to view the patient, or the equipment to measure certain physiologic parameters such as ultrasound imaging. In this step, references to technology should be in terms of general features and specifications, and not in terms of specific vendors or equipment models. For example, you might state that
12、 your patients have a high incidence of congestive heart disease which indicates the need to measure blood pressure, pulse rate, and body weight in their homes. This will need to be followed by developing protocols that include the referral of the patient by the primary care provider, the scheduling
13、 of the telehealth examination (if real time such as videoconferencing), communication with the staff at the remote site, and the examination between the patient and the physician. All of the steps in the process should be in a written protocol that supports the patient, the referring provider, the
14、remote clinic staff, and the local staff. These protocols should be written into your planning document and revised as the planning progresses. If you make a commitment to implement the program, these planning protocols can be revised to become approved clinical protocols. Following this process wil
15、l make these protocols more mature (less likely to have errors) and will help you with planning the other steps. Developing and maintaining relationships with other health services facilities near your organization are critical to most telehealth programs. Typically, telehealth involves bringing in
16、services from outside your organization. Some hospitals are in alliances that include hospitals in nearby regions. Alliances could also include primary care associations, assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes, and home care agencies. Such relationships can bring valuable assets to your organization for telehealth and other programs in the form of referrals.Developing relationships with the ma
