ATA LAUNCHES TWO NEW SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS TO ADVANCE VIRTUAL PEDIATRIC CARE AND GENERATE RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES IN TELEHEALTH

WASHINGTON, DC, September 27, 2024 – The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) today announced the formation of two Special Interest Groups (SIGs), as part of its mission to develop and provide authoritative expertise, information and resources to ATA members and the broader ATA community.

The ATA Pediatric Telehealth SIG promotes expanding the use of telehealth services to provide equitable access and care for infants, children, and adolescents. This interdisciplinary group shares experiences and expertise in pediatrics and collaborates to address practical, technical, legislative, and structural barriers to providing efficient, effective care.

Pediatric Telehealth SIG co-chairs:

Heather Meyers, MBA, Senior Director, Virtual Care and Policy Lead, Innovation Digital Health Accelerator, Boston Children’s Hospital

Stephanie Reed, DNP, RN, Chief Clinical Information Officer, Children’s of Alabama

The first meeting of the Pediatric Telehealth SIG will be held on Thursday, October 3, at 2pm ET.

The ATA Digital Health Research SIG is an interdisciplinary collaborative focused on advancing the field of telehealth and virtual care through research. This SIG brings together researchers interested in generating evidence and sharing best practices related to telehealth implementation and impact across the healthcare continuum. The overarching goal is to foster a community of scholars dedicated to rigorous study of telehealth services, technologies, policies, and outcomes.

Digital Health Research SIG co-chairs:

Judd E. Hollander, MD, Senior VP, Healthcare Delivery Innovation, Jefferson Health; Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University

David McSwain, MD, Chief Medical Informatics Officer, UNC Health Care System

The first meeting of the Digital Health Research SIG will be held on October 9, 12-1pm ET, and is open to all current ATA members.

“Our 16 Special Interest Groups and Collaboratives are a backbone of the ATA, serving as a vital information resource for our members to connect and learn from each other, and collaborate to advance telehealth utilization and improve equitable patient care. Our SIGs home in on specific clinical areas and relevant topics, delivering practice guidelines, useful resources and exclusive forums for discussion and collaborative problem solving,” said Ann Mond Johnson, CEO of the ATA. “Our thanks to the Pediatric Telehealth and Digital Health Research SIG co-chairs for leading important collaboration with peers, policy makers, practitioners and healthcare administrators.”

About the ATA

As the only organization completely focused on advancing telehealth, the American Telemedicine Association is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to safe, affordable, and appropriate care when and where they need it, enabling the system to do more good for more people. The ATA represents a broad and inclusive member network of leading healthcare delivery systems, academic institutions, technology solution providers and payers, as well as partner organizations and alliances, working to advance industry adoption of telehealth, promote responsible policy, advocate for government and market normalization, and provide education and resources to help integrate virtual care into emerging value-based delivery models.

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