Virtual Care: Transforming the Way We See Our Providers

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Posted By: Roberta Mullin December 5, 2018

In this monthly series we are seeking out the transforming technology of Virtual Care. How does virtual care fit into what we know as telemedicine?  What are the newest innovations and products in virtual care? For telemedicine policy and reimbursement issues, read our regular reporting on Telehealth on RCM Answers.

Hashtags to follow for updates on virtual care:

To Listen:

Conversations on Health Care
Conversations on Health Care airs weekdays at 1 am, 9 am, and 5 pm ET. In this episode, hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. John Halamka (@jhalamka), CIO for Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston where he has launched a new endeavor: the Health Technology Exploration Center. The lab is an incubator for studying emerging technologies in health care such as telemedicine, genomics, blockchain, wearables and smart speakers like Alexa that could potentially improve clinical workflow, data sharing and outcomes.

Industry News:

With Physician Burnout at an All-Time High, Wound Care Advantage Launches Industry’s First Virtual Scribe Service
Wound Care Advantage (@WCAdvantage) announced the launch of WCA Virtual Scribe™, a new service destined to change the course of the wound care industry by reducing the time it takes for physicians to complete patient documentation tasks.

First Accredited Continuing Medical Education Course Filmed in VR
For the first time, a 360-degree virtual reality (VR) Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited course in GI surgery is available for streaming to surgeons and medical professionals. The course is a collaboration between medical experts at Cedars-Sinai and GIBLIB (@theGIBLIBapp), the streaming media platform offering the largest library of on-demand medical lectures and surgical videos in the newest formats.

Health Navigator expands reach of triage engine and clinical content with new telemedicine and digital health client partnerships
Health Navigator (@HlthNavigator) announced that it has expanded its base of client partners with several new collaborations in the telemedicine and digital health categories. New Health Navigator clients include TytoCare; Lytic, Inc.; Global Excel Management; NextGen Health Solutions; and The Medical Concierge Group.

Winona Health selects SmartExam™ to step into the future of healthcare
Bright.md (@Bright_Health) and Minnesota-based Winona Health (@winonahealth) are partnering to provide telehealth services through Bright.md’s asynchronous virtual care solution, SmartExam. Winona Health, which has been named one of the Top 100 Rural & Community Hospitals for two consecutive years, has begun the move to value-based contracts.

To Read:

Pivot Point Consulting
5 Barriers to Telemedicine Adoption and How to Overcome Them – Telemedicine is one of the most notable advancements making waves in the digital transformation of healthcare. Telemedicine poses wins for healthcare organizations seeking to improve patient access while controlling costs, as well as healthcare consumers looking for more convenient ways to engage with providers. With 71 percent of providers reporting the use of telehealth and telemedicine tools, it’s clear that the industry is sold on the benefits of virtualized care.

GlobalMed
Several interesting articles on Virtual Care have been posted on GlobalMed, click on the links below to check them out.

Synzi
Why Virtual Care is a Game Changer – Virtual care is one of the latest technology advancement in healthcare which is reshaping how, when, and where care is delivered. Virtual care helps a patient become more mindful and motivated in addressing their ongoing health and well-being. As a result, the patient becomes part of the process of healthcare and not just the recipient of the care.

Upcoming Events:

The American Telemedicine Association Events
ATA is a non-profit association based in Washington DC with a membership network of more than 10,000 industry leaders and healthcare professionals. We are a leading telehealth association helping to transform healthcare by improving the quality, equity and affordability of healthcare throughout the world. Find their next event.

Defining the industry according to the AAPF

Telemedicine is the practice of medicine using technology to deliver care at a distance. It occurs using a telecommunications infrastructure between a patient (at an originating or spoke site) and a physician or other practitioner licensed to practice medicine (at a distant or hub site).

Telehealth refers to a broad collection of electronic and telecommunications technologies that support health care delivery and services from distant locations. Telehealth technologies support virtual medical, health, and education services.

Virtual Care is a patient service model for healthcare providers.