Dekalb Community Hospital: A Case Study

In the United States, a renewed interest occurred in telehealth in the 1990s according to McGonigle and Mastrian because of escalating costs, the need for greater access for all

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how technology has impacted the health care delivery system. Health care technology is advancing at an increasingly rapid rate in the United States, and globally. Patients and providers are witnessing these changes through the use of telehealth, and telemedicine applications. Telehealth, and telemedicine are often used interchangeably, however there is a difference between the two applications. Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver health care, health information, or health education at a distance (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.d.).

The benefits of telehealth consultations are immeasurable; clients are able to access a knowledgeable health care professional and receive a telephone triage/assessment and recommendations. This allows the patient to have immediate access to good health advice and quicker solutions. Telemedicine is one of the many vehicles of telehealth; for example, the cardiologist orders an outpatient Holter Monitor trial to evaluate arrhythmias. The technician calls the patient at the sign of any abnormal rhythm and investigate the activity performed when the reading fluctuation then the reported is communicated to the cardiologist. If warranted, the cardiology staff will contact the patient with instructions schedule an immediate appointment. Telehealth services resources would benefit the client in this next example, an individual’s come in for a sick visit expecting a prescription to be written for their illness; they receive informative instructions because of the nature of the

The incorporation of telehealth shows tremendous productivity, because it expands quality services to patients in other regions especially in underservices populations by cutting down on healthcare spending by

Telehealth has been a large topic of debate in recent years because of the economic, political, and regulatory points of view. In deciding outcomes in these areas, it is the responsibility of all healthcare professions to identify information gaps in order to come to the more rational and beneficial conclusion about telehealth (Grace, 2014). Economically, there are concerns regarding the access and affordability of telehealth equipment. At the same time, telehealth is being adapted in ways to be utilized with technological devices that many individuals already have access to like telephones, cellular phones, and personal computers/laptops. Telehealth can positively impact both clients and providers by increasing access to care and reducing the time and costs associated with traveling for health care (Allen, Aylott, Loyola, Moric, & Saffarek, 2015). As telehealth develops technological devices can be made more affordable and can be covered by insurance policies (Thomas et al., 2014). Many nurses functioning as case managers can help provide the tools and resources individuals require to manage their health.

I also was quite startled by the health disparities rural populations face in regard to access to care issues and recruiting health care providers. I am originally from the state of Iowa -- I saw many parallels between rural health care in West Virginia and Iowa. In college I did my nursing clinical rotation in a rural area in Iowa and I remember how hard it was for patients to find transportation to a health care facility. It was especially difficult for patients who needed specialty health care services like oncology. This is where I really think innovative information technologies like Telehealth can make a difference in rural populations’ health outcomes. Hopefully, more rural health care centers will make the commitment to adopting

Telehealth Introduction Telehealth is the use of technology for the exchange of health information in a two way communication from one location to another using a variety of tools or applications. Tools and applications such as smart phone devices, video conferencing, emails, and other wireless applications are used for the convenience and improvement of delivery of healthcare. It has the advantage of connecting healthcare personnel and primary care provider with patients and provides knowledge through the network system regarding patient care and monitoring (Katzman, 2013). Telehealth is a cost effective way for the Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANP) to have the ability to reach a wider geographical area and broader populations.

Thank you group 1 for a well develop presentation on telehealth. To me, it was mapped and put together perfectly. After reviewing your presentation, I have learned the telehealth is not only diagnosing a patient over the phone or internet. With telehealth, there is so much more to do such as teach, deliver profession healthcare and medical advice. Telehealth has changed the game.

“Hi! This is a very interesting topic, as I have used telehealth many times. As an educator for rural cancer centres, I do not have the ability to meet with the staff face-to-face, so telehealth is often used.

Progress evaluation of the telemedicine project will be consistently reviewed and modified as necessary through each stage of implementation. The initial telemedicine project initiative will be implemented over a 12 month period. One year prior to the go live phase, the project will be proposed to a

The delivery of health care has always been influenced by technological developments and innovations. This is particularly true in modern health care professionals where they are obsessed with technology and rush to apply them. One of the most recent applications of ICT – Information and computer technology- is telehealth. Telehealth is the use of communication, diagnostic and information technology to provide health care when patients and providers are geographically separated [2], Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store -and-forward imaging, streaming media, terrestrial and wireless communications. Telehealth could be as simple as two health professionals discussing a case over the telephone or as

Often the biggest barriers to accessing healthcare are cost and location. Lower income individuals just do not have the resources to have optimal healthcare, or cannot take the time away from employment to deal with health issues. One potential solution to help with these problems could be “telehealth.” Telehealth allows a lower level healthcare practitioner to communicate with a physician or specialists when necessary. Remote rural areas use a Physician Assistant or a Nurse Practitioner on location in remote areas.

There is an increasing need within the U.S. for quality health care to be provided to individuals who have limited access whether it is due to a rural environment, disabilities, or in the field of battle. Telemedicine is literally medicine provided at a distance. Telehealth is able to alleviate some of the effects of a growing shortage of professionals such as primary care physicians. In this type of health care delivery, the dynamics between the patient and the entire health care system changes. Telemedicine meets the increasing demands of patients to have greater access, or responsiveness, from a health care provider. It also meets the needs of the provider who is very interested in time-saving, safety-enhancing assistance in their daily practice. Employers and health plans are also very interested in telemedicine as a means of improving compliance with treatment plans and care management initiatives (Hodgkins, 2008). The use of email also allows the patient to have increased access to their health care providers. Instead of calling their health care provider’s office, patients are now able to email their non-emergent health care questions to their provider. Conversely, health care providers are able to email patients reminders for appointments or wellness tips.

.) Overall professional impression of the presentation is that I have learned more about the benefits of telehealth such as reduction of cost of treatment of acute cases, real-time communication, decreases number of visits to medical facility and allows patient in rural area access to healthcare. Although I learn that we have a lot to work through with telehealth care such as maintaining confidentiality, education the benefits to patients and cultural/aging population differences consideration. The objective was exactly what was being covered. I really liked that your group had visual component for example the avoided emergency department visit and cost saving by using telehealth in rural area table. The presentation talks about the importance

Also, the suggestions provided to help with the research seems appropriate. One suggestion that can be added to the list is to include the pharmacies (private or government) in the telemedicine plan as there may be some times when a person is not able to go the pharmacy to pick up their medicine and the pharmacies can deliver the same to the address. This means that during the discussion, one more party have to be on-board for the development and implementation of telemedicine systems that is the pharmacies that are affiliated to the medical facilities.