From Infancy to Maturity – Sustainable Telehealth Programs in Academic Medicine

April 14, 2019 | 3:30 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. CDT

Telehealth is considered the fastest growing segment of the healthcare market, growing 20% to 50% each year and expected to exceed $30 billion in the next few years. While many organizations understand the value and potential of telehealth, fewer are able to implement programs that operate sustainably and at scale. In this session, a panel of telehealth leaders from four different Academic Medical Centers will describe successful, large-scale telehealth programs and the many strategies they employed to reach maturity. Programs discussed include video visits, e-consults, virtual consults and virtual case conferences, each of which has have been implemented at two or more of the participating institutions. While all these programs have met with success, the paths they took from conception to widespread adoption varied considerably between organizations.

This moderated discussion focuses on how:

• Programs were conceived, funded and initiated
• Growth is tracked and communicated
• Program goals are set, measured and re-set over time
• Challenges and barriers change over program lifetime
• Continuity is ensured, despite inevitable changes in staffing and technology
• The research and education missions of academic medicine are supported

There is no one “right way” to implement or operate a telehealth program. This panels gives attendees a unique opportunity to understand a broad array of strategies that have led to continued success.

Speakers:

• Courtney Stevens, Director, Virtual Care,Henry Ford Health System
• Juan Estrada, Sr. Director, Virtual Consults, Center For TeleHealth and TeleNeurology, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Linda Branagan, Director, Telehealth Programs, University of California, San Francisco
• John Scott, MD, MSc, Medical Director for Telehealth, University of Washington