Connected Care: University of Miami Health System Connects Kids with Healthcare Using Mobile Clinic

The University of Miami Health System Pediatric Mobile Clinic has provided uninsured children in Florida’s Miami-Dade County with access to needed medical care since 1992. After receiving funds through a grant, the clinic built a new unit, which includes large screens, networking upgrades and a telemedicine kit.

It was important for the mobile clinic to have IT support to maintain the new technology and to ensure clinicians were comfortable with telehealth.

“We needed to make sure that the staff was properly trained. At that time, telehealth in a mobile clinic setting was very new and innovative, and some of our staff members were intimidated by the equipment,” says Dr. Lisa Gwynn, medical director for the University of Miami Health System Pediatric Mobile Clinic. “It was really important to provide that comprehensive support to our staff, so that they felt comfortable using the equipment.”

The specialists working with the Pediatric Mobile Clinic also needed to feel comfortable with the technology as the platform goes beyond video visits. Clinicians on the bus are plugging medical devices into the equipment, and the data from those devices is transmitted to the specialists.

Gwynn says that once the organization overcame the barrier of training staff, another challenge was how to respond to technical issues.

“We had to make sure that we had appropriate technical support, not only from our IT department, but also from the telehealth vendor. It’s not just about connectivity. It’s also about bandwidth, the equipment and how all of that is functioning,” she says. “For example, there were times when we would be in the middle of a consultation, and then suddenly the audio would go, and we couldn’t continue to converse. We couldn’t hear what was happening on the other side. We had to strategize and work with the vendor, as well as our IT department, to troubleshoot and determine why that was happening. Having a team of support staff that work together to ensure that we can have a seamless medical encounter, that was really important to overcome our barriers.”

The clinical and IT teams worked together to ensure the success of the Pediatric Mobile Clinic as it expanded its telehealth program and provided increased access to medical care for uninsured children.

LEARN MORE: Find out how mobile clinics are strengthening community care.