286387
Role of telehealth in an evolving public health environment
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 5:10 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Karen Rheuban, MD,
Office of Telemedicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
For nearly 50 years, telehealth programs have served as innovative tools for the delivery of care, linking patients and providers separated by geographic and socioeconomic barriers, all the while mitigating specialty workforce shortages. Through an explosion of advanced technologies and with significant federal investments in telehealth programs and broadband infrastructure, millions of Americans, and likewise patients around the world, now benefit from care provided through telehealth. A recent Institute of Medicine workshop sponsored by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) examined the role of telehealth in an evolving health care environment. Over a two day period, presenters discussed the evolution of telehealth since 1996, the evidence base for telehealth, and focused on how technological developments have changed the delivery of health care in both rural and urban environments. During this session, participants will be provided with an overview of the key themes from this workshop. They will also be exposed to how rapid advances in telehealth technology and its adoption are making its applicability more salient to not only individual patient care, but to population and community health. The adoption of telehealth technologies into mainstream public health practice has the potential for significantly advancing the effective delivery of the Ten Essential Public Health Services.
Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related research
Learning Objectives:
Identify at least two key themes from the Institute of Medicine workshop on the role of telehealth in an evolving health care environment.
Identify at least two advances in telehealth technologies that have impacted how health care is delivered.
Keyword(s): Telehealth, Essential Public Health Services
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Karen S. Rheuban, M.D. currently serves as Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education and Medical Director of the University of Virginia Office of Telemedicine. Dr. Rheuban is a former president of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), 2012 recipient of the ATAâs Individual Award for the advancement of telemedicine and chaired the planning committee responsible for the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Workshop on the Role of Telehealth in an Evolving Health Care Environment.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
