STI College-Surigao

Magallanes Street, Surigao City

Task Performance
In
Emerging Technologies in CpE

Submitted by:
Josielyn L. Taro
La Ereyka Piedad

Submitted to:
Engr. Mark Haron J. Zarate

November 11, 2019

Overview
Telehealth involves the use of telecommunications and virtual technology to deliver health care
outside of traditional health-care facilities. Telehealth, which requires access only to
telecommunications, is the most basic element of “eHealth,” which uses a wider range of information
and communication technologies (ICTs).
Telehealth examples include virtual home health care, where patients such as the chronically ill
or the elderly may receive guidance in certain procedures while remaining at home. Telehealth has also
made it easier for health care workers in remote field settings to obtain guidance from professionals
elsewhere in diagnosis, care, and referral of patients. Training can sometimes also be delivered via
telehealth schemes or with related technologies such as eHealth, which make use of small computers
and internet. Its other application includes distance-learning; meetings, supervision, and presentations
between practitioners; online information and health data management, and healthcare system
integration. Telehealth could include two clinicians discussing a case over video conference; a robotic
surgery occurring through remote access; physical therapy done via digital monitoring instruments, live
feed and application combinations; tests being forwarded between facilities for interpretation by a
higher specialist; home monitoring through continuous sending of patient health data; client to
practitioner online conference; or even videophone interpretation during a consult.
Dr. G. Byron Brooks, a former NASA surgeon and engineer who had also helped manage
the UTMB Telemedicine program, co-founded Teladoc in Dallas, Texas, launched the first national
telehealth provider.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Below is the summary of the strengths and weaknesses of Telehealth:
Strengths Weaknesses
Patients are being seen in the more rural facilities Lack of continuity in programs, because of loss of
where healthcare recruitment is difficult. funding, changes in politics and regulations.
The improved range of services offered and the Lack of funding for rural areas-providers afraid to
fact that it is easier to render care. take risk.
Lack of consistent and functional funding model.
The legislation around creating a new type of One major issue around dental care is getting
dental provider will be a strong point in providing practitioners to practice in the rural areas because
care in remote areas. of the lack of demand for the service.
We have mid-level providers such as nurse The biggest issue is lack of reimbursement and
practitioners, as the providers in small rural sustainable payment sources, especially with
communities. They care and are committed. respect to Community Health Workers (CHW).

Regulations are appropriate. Another major weakness is a misguided mindset of

providers that TH is not an appropriate or effective
Regulations are being considered for automatic way to improve the health of patients. If the
dispensing machines. This would be for licensed individual with this mindset is a supervisor, the
facilities. Medications in the machine would be whole facility and patients may miss out on great
common. Meds would be accessed by staff as
needed- no waste if a patient is discharged or dies. programs and opportunities.
Who accesses the medication, when and what
There are costs to telehealth which some
doses would all be automatically recorded.
providers might not be able to afford.

For remote or poverty areas, having a computer is

a challenge. Even if a computer is available, it is
the broadband width needed to function properly
available.

Lack of infrastructure and understanding the

importance or benefits of TH.
The unwillingness to learn or transition towards TH
by providers and doctors.

Issues and Challenges

Health care costs have been increasing for consumers, driving them to make different choices in
their care. Some skip seeing a doctor, or order generic drugs instead of brand name ones; some don’t go
to follow-up care, or skip a procedure or treatment. A significant percentage of patients ask about
alternative care or treatments because of costs.
These phenomena have spurred the tech and medical communities to think about telehealth as
an alternative to traditional health care. “Telehealth” is not a very well defined term, and describes
a variety of technologies as a means to deliver medical, health and education services. Thirty percent of
patients already use computers and mobile devices for medical and diagnostic information. Everything
from checking Web M.D. to scheduling a doctor’s appointment on an iPhone could be considered
telehealth.
But the implementation of telehealth technology poses some challenges. This may make it
difficult for its wide implementation as a means to expand health care access and reduce costs. Here are
some telehealth challenges:

A. Payment
Payment parity — reimbursement and coverage for telemedicine services comparable to those
of in-person services — is a big challenge for telehealth. There is no guarantee of payment parity
between telemedicine and in-person health care. Even in the 28 states in which payment parity laws
have been passed, no apparatus exists to enforce it. This could potentially defeat the point of
telemedicine to reduce health care costs and expand access to services, and could also discourage
providers from offering telehealth because there is no guarantee of comparable payment.

B. Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis happens often in in-person health care, but the risks increase with telehealth. Add
to this the fact that there is no clear standard of care established by state legislatures, and quality may
be uneven between one provider and the next. Misdiagnosis has the potential to drive up overall costs
to the general health care system as well, because misdiagnoses lead to wrong prescriptions and
treatments. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one third of antibiotics prescriptions are
already unnecessary. Additionally, if a telehealth service cannot determine a diagnosis, the patient may
be counseled to go to an ER or an urgent care service. If these visits are unnecessary, they may result in
a large cost to both the patient and the system as a whole.

B. Widespread Implementation
The government has been attempting to address patient demand for telehealth by passing
legislation like CONNECT (Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies),
which expands the availability of services provided through telehealth under Medicare.
The challenges of widespread implementation of telemedicine encompass many different areas,
because “telehealth” can refer to so many different things — from robotics to telephone consultations.
Some of the responsibility of implementation resides with the legal system, and rests with the
government. Some is institutional, and rests with local hospitals and health care institutions. Also, some
of the challenges are financial, and require the effective utilization of business strategy and human
resources.

C. Adoption
Health care providers sometimes resist innovation in telemedicine because it creates
competition. Individual providers may resist solutions to licensing barriers because they do not want
competition from another state’s telemedicine network. This resistance is even greater with the
development of nationwide networks.

D. Hype
We are victims of our own hype. We tend to talk about studies and all the wonderful things that
telemedicine can do, but a lot of studies show that some applications of telemedicine do not work or
cost too much. To move telemedicine forward, we have to be realistic about what works and what does
not.
While there are many obstacles that may give us pause, we have already seen some positive
results of the implementation of telemedicine services. For instance, with the introduction of virtual
care there has been a significant decrease in inpatient days and ER use for patients with diabetes.
Because telehealth comprises such a vast quantity of technologies and services, much of its widespread
implementation will be an ongoing experiment to determine best practices. The methods and
technologies that integrate well into health plans will survive, saving money and expanding care in the
long term.

Opportunities/Advantages/Benefits

Telehealth is fueled by digital technologies, which allows us to reimagine the physician visit as a
house call without the travel. The idea of the virtual visit has been around for decades, and telemedicine
has been deployed across specialties and service lines, from primary care to radiology, cardiology to
orthopedics.
Telehealth lends itself well to both the primary care and specialist, allowing them to further
their reach, treating patients wherever there is an Internet connection. Telehealth platforms have
traditionally launched from a health system because they typically have the overhead to purchase large
equipment kiosks and sophisticated digital technology.
Today, telehealth applications are software-as-a-service (SaaS) and as close as the smartphone a
doctor – and their patient – keeps in their pocket or purse. Today’s telehealth platforms no longer
require big upfront overhead costs but are part of monthly subscription packages that are as secure and
HIPAA-compliant as they are affordable.
Let’s look at our top 10 benefits telehealth applications patients and doctors. How can these
new SaaS models be a game changer for clinicians seeking new ways to serve patients?
A. Telehealth increases access to care
Distance and travel time between patients and care providers can limit access to care.
Fortunately, telemedicine can overcome geographic barriers to healthcare, especially for specialized
providers. Telemedicine can be particularly beneficial for patients in medically underserved
communities and those in rural geographical locations where clinician shortages exist.

B. Telehealth improves quality of care delivery

Telemedicine can improve the quality of care for patients with both medical and mental health
conditions. A recent study showed that with telemedicine, patients had:
o 38% fewer hospital admissions
o 31% fewer hospital re-admissions
o 63% more likely to spend fewer days in the hospital
o Were more engaged in their healthcare

C. Telemedicine reduces healthcare costs

Telemedicine can increase efficiency of care delivery, reduce expenses of caring for patients or
transporting to another location, and can even keep patients out of the hospital. In fact, one study
showed that telemedicine care had 19 percent savings over inpatient care cost. Our patients spend a lot
of money and time seeking healthcare. With a telehealth visit, the doctor comes to the patient on their
phone, laptop, or another digital device. Imagine how the costs of travel, parking, childcare, and taking
time off work can accumulate. The additional effort that it takes to travel to a remote doctor’s facility
can be stressful, but it is the costs that can really add up. In some rural regions, patients must travel
overnight to reach specialists in more urban regions. Oregon Health and Science University saved their
patients $6.4 million annually in travel costs by implementing a telemedicine program. One University of
Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) patient survey showed that 40% of their patients said if they did not
have access to a virtual visit, they would skip treatment because of the burden of excessive travel to
their facilities.

D. Improves clinical workflows and increases practice efficiency

Telehealth can increase clinical workflow efficiency. It can serve as the conduit for quicker
prioritization of care delivery, triaging each case and improving communication by capturing, storing,
and using patient data for better medical decision-making. The Medical Group Management Association
(MGMA) reports that telehealth is a feature of some of the best performing practices in our nation.
These tools can help facilitate performance improvements including increasing patient satisfaction
scores.

E. Telehealth enhances traditional face-to-face medicine

A strong doctor-patient relationship is the foundation for high-quality patient care and reducing
health care costs. Telemedicine should support, not replace, traditional care delivery. With telemedicine
care providers can continue to care for patients in-person care while still providing the flexibility and
convenience of seeing patients remotely for follow up visits, check-ups, and education when
appropriate or necessary.
 F. Telehealth improves patient engagement and satisfaction
Telemedicine makes it easier and more convenient for patients to stay healthy and engaged in
their health care. Patients love the convenience, flexibility, and real-time care with their providers.

G. Telehealth improves provider satisfaction

Being a healthcare provider today can be challenging and stressful at times. Telemedicine can
improve job satisfaction by making it easier to meet with patients. Providers can use telemedicine to
make it easier to balance their work and family life.

H. Improves healthcare quality

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) says that telehealth improves
healthcare quality, particularly in rural settings. That’s because the technology can improve service
delivery and treatment of acute conditions. Telehealth is also being used to divert unnecessary ER visits.
It also improves the convenience of receiving treatment by allowing patients to receive care without
traveling long distances.

I. Reduces patient no-shows

Earlier this year, Becker’s released a case study on a Nebraska Children’s Hospital that struggled
with frequent no-shows, in part, because rural patients drove for many miles to receive care at their
state-of-the-art facility. No shows had become a significant revenue cost center for the organization and
the quality of care was being compromised, particularly on follow-up visits. When they expanded
treatment with telehealth, the targeted service line improved no-show rates by 50%.

J. Improves patient satisfaction

Patient satisfaction is a key performance indicator of telehealth. 87% of the patients using the
OrthoLive telehealth application say they would use it again. A patient survey from the nationwide chain
of CVS Minute Clinics reported up to a 99% satisfaction score with their telehealth visit. These results
have been mirrored in clinical facilities from the Cleveland Clinic, the VA, children’s hospitals, and more.

Conclusion

Telehealth is a valuable tool that patients can use to be evaluated and treated by health care
providers from wherever they may be. Telemedicine services are often offered at lower costs and make
availability for some to obtain health care easier to achieve. With the use of economic tools, providers
and facilities are determining this to be true. As more Americans are obtaining health care insurance,
there is an increasing need and demand for health care that continues to rise as fewer providers are
available, and telemedicine can provide an expansion to the health care industry. Cost analysis provides
facilities and provides with the significant figures when determining the value of implementing a
telemedicine system. The greatest value associated with telemedicine is not only the lower wait times
and the reduced costs that are achieved but the improvement in patient satisfaction and allowing the
patient more involvement in the care they receive.