Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health is launching the Center for Excellence for Telehealth and Aging, an institute that will aim to provide telehealth tools to older adult patients.
The new program is a collaboration between UVA Health's West Health Institute and Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center. The center is aiming to make telehealth for older adults more equitable, person-centered and coordinated, according to a May 31 UVA Health news release.
"While telehealth utilization rates have declined below the levels seen early in the pandemic, the two-year trends of telehealth use among Medicare beneficiaries continue to be higher than pre-pandemic levels," Laurie Archbald-Pannone, MD, a UVA Health geriatrician who serves as medical director for the center, said in the release. "When done well, telehealth can increase access to care, allowing patients to connect directly with their care team to discuss urgent or chronic issues. When not done well, telehealth can increase barriers to care and further limit access, especially in rural communities and communities with vulnerable access to care.