Telehealth Implementation at Fancy Hospital
Fancy Town USA has several hospitals located in different states including Florida. A nurse practitioner in Rural Texas is checking a patient who has cancer of the Kidney; according to the nurse, the patient needs instant care. However, the nurse says there is no expert clinician who can handle the patient in Time. The nurse has connections with the administration of Fancy Town USA but on making calls to the health care provider in Florida, the provider wants her to send an email to request for help before the clinician can be dispatched.
Solution
Given the above scenario, it is quite clear that coordination of care and access to patient’s health care records are the main problems. In that case, I will recommend Fancy hospital to implement Telehealth that will allow the clinician to talk to the current nurse while ensuring care coordination irrespective of the distance. Telehealth will come in handy as it allows the use of telecommunication technologies such as phones to administer clinical care and patient-related technology (Hoyt, 2015). In which case, the clinician will be able to assess the patient and give recommendations to the nurse on the best course of action.
Location
Location is a key consideration in a telehealth implementation as it determines the effectiveness and efficiency of the system. In which case, location is an important aspect since not every place will have the necessary capabilities to support the use of PDAs and phones without network interference. Thus, it is proper to survey the location so as to implement the right telehealth system for Fancy Hospital.
Cost
Besides location, cost affects telehealth implementation since it involves costs up front. In that case, as much as the hospital is likely to benefit from the technology, it is obvious that a lot of costs will be incurred in acquiring the system as well as undertaking training. However, using a telehealth system such as audiovisual communication is likely to reduce the cost of transportation as well as improve the quality of care by reducing the waiting time for patients (Hoyt, 2015). Moreover, the patient is likely to benefit from telehealth as some insurers are already embracing or rather adopting the technology.
Regulation
As part of the implementation process, the hospital needs to consider different regulations put across by bodies such as HIPPA. In which case, the system should ensure that the patient's information is protected from any unauthorized personnel (Kluge, 2004). Also, it is proper to take a close look of how the rules apply to different states to avoid unnecessary lawsuits.
Culture
Organizational culture is an important aspect during the initial stages of telehealth implementation. Without proper management organizational change, it is quite obvious that the hospital will not be able to implement the system successfully. In that case, it is proper for the organization to involve the employees and other stakeholders in the change process while putting in place proper change strategies (Cresswell, Bates, & Sheikh, 2013).
Conclusion
A Telehealth system is important for Fancy Hospital since it will cut down the cost incurred in undertaking more diagnostics and tests. Consequently, it is beneficial since it facilitates information sharing and discussion about critical health issues among professionals. Also, the system provides a convenient monitoring platform through tablets that reduce cases of outpatient visits. On the contrary, the system has drawbacks in that patient’s data can be lost through cyber-attack and fall into the wrong hands (Kluge, 2004). Furthermore, the hospital incurs costs up front in training nurses as well as ensuring the security infrastructure is in place. Moreover, it reduces the interaction between the doctor and the patient a fact that will eventually increase errors in clinical services (Hjelm, 2005).
References
Cresswell, K. M., Bates, D. W., & Sheikh, A. (2013). Ten key considerations for the successful implementation and adoption of large-scale health information technology. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 20(e1), e9-e13.
Hjelm, N. M. (2005). Benefits and drawbacks of telemedicine. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 11(2), 60-70.
Hoyt, R. E. (2015). Health Informatics: Practical guide for healthcare and information technology professionals.
Morrisville: Lulu.com. Kluge, E. H. W. (2004). Informed consent and the security of the electronic health record (EHR): some policy considerations. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 73(3), 229-234.
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