Pittsburgh-based TeleTracking Technologies, a patient flow solutions provider, was one of four healthcare companies to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health during a Sept. 14 hearing on how to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery while reducing costs.
Michael Gallup, president of TeleTracking, was one of the experts invited to the hearing, called "Exploring the Use of Technology and Innovation to Create Efficiencies, Higher Quality and Better Access for Beneficiaries in Health Care."
Other panelists included Jared Short, COO of Portland, Ore.-based Cambia Health Solutions; Paul Black, CEO of Chicago-based Allscripts; and Greg Long, CMO and senior vice president of systems of care at Appleton, Wis.-based ThedaCare.
TeleTracking has been working with the Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio), for numerous months. In addition to devising technological solutions to support quality and efficiency improvement efforts, the concept of access was also central to the discussion for subcommittee members, who expressed concerns regarding the ability of patients who live far from major cities to access quality and cost-effective care. They also focused on access issues for underserved populations, such as those with chronic conditions, as well as how new technology such as telehealth will complement existing regulations.
According to Mr. Gallup, TeleTracking has implemented more than 100 command centers that provide health systems with real-time snapshots of the system's resources and capacity. This global view also makes it possible for large health systems to work with smaller facilities in rural areas — and provide a strong foundation for technologies like telehealth — to help close service gaps.