Behind The Scenes: Telehealth

Everyone knows that much happens behind the scenes in any good movie, show or documentary. There are actors, directors, makeup crew, styling crew, etc. Just read the credits at the end. Even a very simple 30-second commercial requires much effort.

In the same way, although telehealth can be viewed as a quick call that happens between a provider and a patient, so much more has gone into making that connection happen.

Collaboration is key, from the technical folks who ensure the audio and visual are good to those who work on the reporting end to tally up surveys and analyze a program’s success.

As the telehealth program manager at Memorial Healthcare System, I am a witness to what happens behind the scenes. My role consists of understanding operations and technology to mesh the two, creating a product that will be efficient for the provider and patient.

To have a successful program, the first step is understanding a provider’s end goal and the workflow that leads up to that goal via a connection. Collaboration between the provider and the technical team is followed by collaboration between those who will prep the patient prior to the visit. A visit needs to be scheduled, a patient registered, and if your organization is trying to give the patient an experience as if they were in the office, then there should be a medical assistant greeting the patient and noting down information prior to the patient being seen by the provider.

All of this comes in conjunction with the documentation and next steps for a patient. Once a viable telehealth platform has been identified working on the other aspects of the visit is what truly makes a telehealth encounter successful.

 Telehealth is defined as the provision of healthcare remotely via telecommunication technology and, therefore, is not limited to that face-to-face encounter. Our system doesn’t just deliver the care the patient needs at the moment of an appointment but communicates via applications that are integrated into our EHR system. All for a complete technology comprehensive experience that doesn’t take away from the care the patient needs but adds to it.

Collaborating with all those involved with a telehealth visit is as important as knowing the workflow aspect and/ or the scope of the call. Why? Because if we want to deliver a comprehensive technology experience then we must understand the nature of why the patient is connecting.

There are two aspects to workflow to consider when it comes to telehealth. The what and the why. What is happening and why is telehealth needed. For example, our patients need nutritional advice, but coming to the office can be a challenge due to parking space and therefore offering nutritional classes via telehealth eliminates patient frustrations with parking, while allowing us to offer the same class via telehealth.

This is just one example of what and why. Delineating a step-by-step strategy is part of the workflow aspect, from who schedules the patient to who will greet them via video and up to their appointment and after-appointment experience. Creating a step-by-step plan is important because when evaluating a program’s success, we can better identify where there may be cracks and room for improvement. At times, it can directly be a video connection being blurry, but other times, it can be that the person who scheduled the visit did so incorrectly; the patient had to be rescheduled and is now frustrated with the telehealth visit. Capturing all the steps allows clarity when it comes to review and a better identifier as to what may be stopping a telehealth program from thriving.

So many details come into play if you look at the bigger picture and overall patient experience. Telehealth has made great strides since its beginnings, and I personally believe that it will make even greater strides as we continue to take into consideration the different aspects that are tied to telehealth. Having an appointment via a video connection probably sounded futuristic a couple of generations back, but now it is becoming the norm.

I believe this is only the beginning. Focus on technology quality alongside workflows and collaborations will expand telehealth beyond the ‘camera walls.’ We’ve barely scratched the surface of what telehealth is capable of.

Other aspects to consider:

 - Compliance

- Marketing

- Patient and Provider Education and/or Training.