From an administrator’s point of view, assessing the technology for a telehealth or broader customer communication strategy is going to depend on more variables than we will be able to get into for a toolkit. Depending on the size of the company, up-to-date information on things like the company’s market cap, financial condition, status of any current contracts with any given company or their competitors, prior commitments with supply chain contracts, and other issues may come into play. If a company is large enough to have its own IT department and security teams, you can be sure that they’ll have an opinion on the security and what will be required of them to do to support the network for any given implementation.
What this tool kit can provide is a focus on key developments in video over the internet and some considerations the C-Suite may find useful. Whether for a small clinic or a large system, online communication is certainly changing the way consumers expect to be able to interact with customer support and finding answers. While not specifically telehealth per-say, if a health system or clinic decides to incorporate these tools, they can also be used for telehealth with options in the market that also meet health care related security and regulatory requirements.
From a strategic viewpoint, a decision to purchase of a video capable solution strictly for use to support a physician / patient interaction will likely result in purchasing a video solution that is assessed for that purpose only. These days, there is the option to consider solutions that can support additional workflow processes that can be performed online which both the staff and customers might find attractive and convenient that could provide a market advantage. For these opportunities, looking outside the typical telehealth market and at solutions marketed at clinical call centers will identify solutions that can be used for telehealth encounters but also for other customer support services, scheduling, and online direct to consumer services.
It is important to be aware that peripheral equipment such as stethoscopes, otoscopes, and other clinical exam equipment commonly found in an office exam room are increasingly available with wireless, Bluetooth, and USB connections. In the past, these peripherals leveraged serial or other now outdated connections which limited their use to legacy equipment that still had these types of connections. If the intent is to purse direct to consumer style services, then this isn’t likely to be an issue. However, if the intent is to incorporate an existing telehealth service line that has previously invested in legacy equipment and non-USB or non-wireless peripherals, it will be important to work with the clinical team using that equipment to identify if newer equipment or connections are available.
The Telehealth Technology Assessment Center has other toolkits that focus on peripherals which may be useful to operations and IT to review and make .