While the COVID-19 pandemic significantly sped up telemedicine adoption, the integration of virtual care with in-person delivery will hold a place in the healthcare system far beyond the pandemic.
During a May 13 Becker's Hospital Review webinar sponsored by Cloud DX, two industry leaders shared success strategies for implementing permanent digital health technologies and remote patient monitoring solutions.
The presenters were:
- Sonny Kohli, MD, attending intensive care and internal medicine physician at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital in Ontario, Canada
- Robert Kaul, CEO, founder and president of Cloud DX
Five key takeaways:
1. Telemedicine isn't simply a temporary solution used during COVID-19, and it largely will dictate the future of healthcare. Eighty-three percent of patients north and south of the border expect to use telemedicine after the pandemic ends, according to Dr. Kohli, who added that many of his own patients cited inconveniences with in-person visits such as having to drive far distances for appointments and finding parking at facilities.
2. Implement telemedicine right the first time. Dr. Kohli advised organizations planning virtual care platforms to make them permanent fixtures. "If you make the mistake of being an organization that implements something on a temporary basis thinking, 'Oh, this can be temporary, so we don't need to put in all the bells and whistles; we don't need to be careful on how it's implemented,' you'll make the mistake of putting something in that will really become a burden down the road, so you have to do it right the first time."
3. The onslaught of COVID-19 in March 2020 drove hospitals and health systems into survival mode. Providers across the country reported multi-thousand percent increases in telehealth visits, with many hospitals and health systems standing up patient programs in the course of a few weeks, Mr. Kaul said.
"It's exciting to be part of [this rapid adoption], but now we're finding the real challenges are around workflows and making sure that those efficiency increases actually come true," he said. "We must ensure clinicians' workflows and the patient experience are appropriate and improvements over the status quo."
4. Connectivity is a top challenge for remote patient monitoring. It takes a lot more than buying remote monitoring devices to successfully launch an RPM program. Providers must acknowledge the redundancies, inefficiencies and communication breakdowns that can exist in mobile technologies and advanced analytics.
5. The fundamental problem is not devices; it's with connectivity. If a hospital decides to implement an RPM solution to solve a problem or pain point, it must be able to gather important data with the chosen platform provider, understand how that data will flow, who will review it, when and how frequently, Dr. Kohli said.
"It takes a complete solution that involves both technology and people applying it in a way that improves your hospital efficiencies, people's times and outcomes."
Click here to view the full webinar presentation.