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Step 4: Identify Potential Telehealth Opportunities in Your Community

By January 20, 2017May 4th, 2020No Comments

ProgrammingThe Health Care Professional’s Guide to Successful Telehealth Program Development is a blog series that provides a step-by-step approach to telehealth program development.

Click here to access the blog and step-by-step checklist.

 

 

Once you have established that your organization will benefit from a telehealth/telemedicine program, and you have assessed your organization’s readiness to implement a program, you are ready to identify potential telehealth opportunities in your community. You will need to complete this preliminary work to prepare for the needs analysis.

What do you need to know?

  • Telehealth services can enhance a rural clinic’s reputation by expanding access to primary and specialty care services, especially in underserved communities
  • Telehealth services are needed in congested urban areas where traveling to a specialist can take a lot of time
  • Patients who receive their specialty care via telehealth will purchase their prescriptions, groceries, etc. where they live, which supports the community
  • Laws are being passed to ensure that telehealth services can be reimbursed the same as face-to-face visits
  • Telehealth is quickly becoming accepted by health care professionals and patients across the country

 What do you need to consider?

  • Will your program focus on needs that are currently not being met in the community?
  • What level of service is needed?
  • Why is the service a current need?
  • Do you have the capacity to provide the service (technology, staff, etc.)?
  • Will your program focus on current patients and providers in your work environment?
  • Have you considered the impact of demographic and socioeconomic information (age, race, ethnicity, poverty, unemployment rate)?
  • Do you understand the health status of your potential population and the impact on your program (behavioral risks and chronic disease problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, etc.)?
  • Do you understand the services currently available in your community?
  • Will your program be impacted by cultural or language barriers?
  • Can administrative or education needs be met through your telehealth program?
  • What is the referral pattern for the community and how would that impact your service?

What do you need to do?

  • Identify similar programs that you can benchmark, which can save time and provide useful data
  • Organize and document results to get a clear picture and a detail-driven plan

Telehealth Carl

Resources to get you started!

About SCTRC

Since 2010, the South Central Telehealth Resource Center (SCTRC) has been providing telehealth training and technical assistance. We offer a wide variety of services and resources to help develop, maintain, and expand telehealth services. While we strive to help anyone reaching out to us for assistance, we prioritize the needs of those who work with rural and other underserved communities and populations in our region — Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The SCTRC offers in-person and virtual assistance including on-site demos at our regional telehealth training centers, and popular online resources here such as billing and reimbursement guides, beginner courses, a variety of webinars and recordings, podcasts, and more. The SCTRC team is eager to hear more about your efforts and to brainstorm how we could work together to expand telehealth adoption.

How can we help you today?

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Staff & Advisory Council

The SCTRC is staffed by telehealth professionals with backgrounds in nursing, business, education & instructional design, and mass media/communications.

Staff Directory »

The SCTRC also works with a dedicated group of professionals who comprise the SCTRC Advisory Council. This group provides a grassroots voice for the telehealth initiatives needed in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Advisory Council List »

The SCTRC is proud to be part of the National
Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers
SCTRC / UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation

The South Central Telehealth Resource Center is made possible by Grant #U1UTH42528 from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth, Health Resources and Services Administration, DHHS, and the support of the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. Please note: This information, content, and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The information and tools presented on the SCTRC website should not be considered legal advice. The SCTRC is not guaranteeing that any information provided will result in reimbursement from a payer. All materials are strictly for informational and educational purposes. The SCTRC encourages you to check with the appropriate state agency for further information and direction for legal opinions, interpretation of the laws, regulations, and/or policies. Additionally, please consult with your legal counsel or attorney if seeking legal opinions. © 2024 Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas acting for and on behalf of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. All Rights Reserved.