Discussion Background

Backgound:

21st Century health leaders have the responsibility to innovate new methods to deliver services given aging populations, limited physical resources, and consumer demands. As an administrative or medical leader you are expected to craft alternative delivery models that are cost effective and accepted by both internal and external customers. The effective use of these types of technologies can enable existing business' strategies and differentiate your organization significantly in increasingly competitive health markets.

This week provides you the opportunity to investigate an evolving quandary in the industry-that of licensed providers who want to treat patients online and be compensated for services. In the industry, multiple terms are used for this type of care, including but not limited to: eHealth, eVisits, telemedicine, and telehealth. By researching and discussing different stakeholders' views on this topic, you develop an appreciation for the complexity of online care and the unique opportunities that it brings to the health economy.
Learning Objectives

Students will:
- Develop strategies for virtual health care delivery from the perspective of various industry stakeholders
- Analyze strategies and operational models for implementing electronic care visits

Discussion Topic and Instructions:

Discussion: Strategic Use of HIT in Virtual Health Care Delivery Models
Note: For this discussion you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleague's postings. Begin by clicking on the "Post to Discussion Question" link and then select "Create Thread" to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking Submit!

In this Discussion you are asked to take on a specific role as you work through the opportunities and challenges related to the evolution of e-Patient models and online service delivery. By participating in this dynamic Discussion you will be able to critically assess different stakeholder perspectives on eHealth. This exercise allows you to develop a key leadership skill, which is a sense of perspective and sensitivity to multiple views on a complex topic.

Scenario: Dynamic Health System has implemented the Epic Electronic Health Record and the integrated patient portal. The portal is branded as "myDynamic Health" and is used for basic functions such as: prescription refills, self-scheduling, reporting results, and referrals. Dynamic primary care doctors want to begin to offer electronic care (virtual) visits online for non-urgent illness to compete with the growing number of stand-alone urgent care centers and pharmacy urgent care clinics in their area. The physicians have read literature from other sites in the U.S. where eVisits are conducted on existing patients and paid for by private insurance and self-pay patients. They are anxious to get started and are looking toward a newly formed committee of top administrators at Dynamic and some external stakeholders to formulate a plan.

To prepare:

- Read the Learning Resources and investigate the literature related to existing eVisit models. Examine any online care models in your area as well.

- Discuss the concept of online patient care with stakeholders such as administrators, physicians, nurses, or payers in your area.

- For this Discussion Question, each student is assigned a role by the Instructor (see Class Announcements). Roles include: commercial payer, regional employer, practice administrator, primary care physician, marketing director, and CFO.
By Day 3

Using Dynamic Health System as a scenario, respond to the proposed idea of Dynamic deploying online primary care visits. From the perspective of your role, what are the benefits of online visits? What are the concerns?