For more than a quarter century, the Lackey Clinic has been providing free medical care to those in need in the Yorktown community. Founded in 1995 when local physician Jim Shaw and his wife Cooka began seeing patients from a Sunday school classroom at a local church, the clinic has grown significantly over the years, […]
Read More… from Free Clinic’s Transition to Telehealth Is Helping Grow its Practice
Dr. Sadiq Patel’s recent webinar on Telehealth Equity – part of the Virginia Telehealth Network’s series on Equity & Telehealth – provided a great deal of insights into the statistics surrounding the use of telehealth in the country. A NIMH postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Patel shared some telling – and sometimes […]
Read More… from Data on Telehealth Use During Pandemic Includes Some Head-Scratching Findings
Improving telehealth means ensuring there is equity at every level. Tools, technology and processes must be accessible and customized to meet the needs of all patients. The technology providers use also should offer enhanced options and have translation capabilities for those with a language barrier. Another way physicians can improve telehealth is by digitizing paper […]
Read More… from Equity in Telehealth: Addressing Areas in Need
As part of Virginia Telehealth Network’s commitment to serving those who need it most, we kicked off our Equity & Telehealth initiative with an introductory webinar led by Dr. Sadiq Patel, NIMH Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Harvard Medical School within the Department of Health Care Policy. During this session, Dr. Patel introduced to our members […]
Read More… from Equity & Telehealth: An intro with Dr. Sadiq Patel
It was the spring of 2020, and Dr. Christian Bergman – like so many physicians specializing in the care of patients in the senior population – was concerned. Reports that COVID-19 was spreading quickly in Washington State and then New York, especially among older Americans, had him fearing a worst-case scenario. “If the virus […]
Read More… from Telehealth Provides Platform for Mutual Learning During Pandemic
There is a misperception that older adults are either uninterested in or incapable of using technological platforms for health care. However, most older people, 7 in 10, have and use a computer, smartphone, or tablet with an internet connection at home. While most older adults have access to modern technology, there is a limited reach […]
Read More… from Tips for Introducing Telehealth to Older Adults
The past year has brought many challenges – including new practice safeguards that for many limited how many patients could be seen in a day – as well as many opportunities. Many of our practices have embraced telehealth, new collaborations, and creative staffing models as we sought to meet our patients’ needs during this time. […]
Read More… from Physician and nurse practitioner collaborations are a win-win-win
The pace of what’s referred to as “digital adoption” – the embrace of online tools – has accelerated dramatically during the pandemic. According to research by McKinsey, consumers are driving digital adoption across their daily lives, from the way we shop and order food to how we communicate with one another. (Zoom, anyone?) One digital […]
Read More… from Early Telemedicine Champion Now Seeing Remote Services Taking Hold
When the Rockingham Free Clinic in Harrisonburg ceased operation at the end of 2020, and during a pandemic, local health care professionals stepped up to ensure those without access to healthcare would have their needs met. In April 2020, the Blue Ridge Free Clinic was established. Overall, the clinic is led by a very engaged […]
VCU’s Richmond Health and Wellness Program works to create equitable solutions for older adults. The topic of equity in healthcare – an evening-out of the playing field when it comes to access to care among all populations – has been a gathering concern over the past several years. While the Affordable Care Act has been […]
Read More… from Telehealth Sustains Momentum Toward Improving Health Equity
The public health emergency of the past year has impacted the delivery of healthcare services in profound ways, and perhaps none more so than how it has accelerated the adoption of virtual care – by both patient and provider. From diagnostic tools to preventive care, from mental health services to treatment, telemedicine has proven to be a safe, convenient and effective tool across virtually every practice area. […]
Read More… from Virginia policies catching up to momentum behind telemedicine
We have seen a glimpse of the future of health care during the pandemic this past year. Tools such as telemedicine and video platforms were quickly deployed to provide care to patients with chronic disease at their own homes in order to keep them from overwhelming hospital systems that have channeled all their resources to take care of the critically ill COVID-19 patients. […]
Those of you following the recently completed session of the Virginia General Assembly may have taken special notice of a bill having to do with nurse practitioners. Proposed by Del. Dawn M. Adams, herself a practicing nurse practitioner, H.B. 1737 – which passed by more than a three-to-one margin in the House – enables nurse […]
Read More… from General Assembly easing path to independent practice for nurse practitioners
The pandemic has engendered changes within healthcare at every level – from a relaxation of regulations by policymakers to the adoption of new protocols among healthcare providers to changes in behavior among patients. The question now – how much of this new normal will last once we are on the other side of the coronavirus? […]
Read More… from Too soon to be planning for post-pandemic? Likely not.
While telehealth has been around for years, it was something new for many healthcare professionals across the commonwealth, quickly obliged to adopt it when the pandemic and social distancing protocols began. A year later, the volume of telehealth claims in the southern region of the nation is up more than 1,000% from Dec. 2019 to […]