2. Educate All Staff Members, Regardless of Their Role
There’s a lot more to virtual care than logging in to a videoconferencing platform. Providers must be thoroughly educated about the workflows and capacities of your chosen platform. At Jefferson Health, online video training modules were rolled out via Microsoft SharePoint to educate hundreds of staffers within three days.
To be effective, these efforts can’t be rote or impersonal. “You need connection, and you need to communicate,” Dr. Aditi Joshi, medical director for JeffConnect — the Philadelphia-based organization’s telehealth program — recently told HealthTech. “You need the staffing and the process.”
3. Offer Easy Access to IT Support Throughout the Care Journey
More than half of providers now view telehealth more favorably than before COVID-19, an April survey by McKinsey found, but the technology isn’t perfect. This is why having a designated help desk, IT staffer or managed services partnership to step in when an unexpected hiccup arises is crucial. Clearly explain how to contact these individuals.
This mindset is also valid for recipients, especially before a patient’s first virtual appointment — regardless of their age or comfort with technology. Consider having administrative teams deliver personalized outreach by phone. At Banner Health, hospitalized patients are taught the basics of telehealth so care can continue at home.
READ MORE: Prepare your clinical staff for virtual care delivery.
4. Educate Providers (and Patients) on Security Best Practices
In March, federal officials temporarily waived potential HIPAA violations for “good faith use of telehealth” to quickly deliver virtual care in a crisis. But they also warned that third-party applications potentially introduce privacy risks, and that providers should enable all available encryption and privacy modes when using such applications.
Communicate the presence of these risks as well as best practices for safe remote work and use of mobile communications devices. Likewise, be sure to educate patients about your protective measures and how they too can play a role. This is still new territory for many; easing any fears about breaches and confidentiality can go a long way.