JPS Health Network leaders plan to explore the future of healthcare by testing a telemedicine program with team members.
Leaders and healthcare providers at JPS are discussing plans for how telemedicine can be incorporated into employees’ healthcare coverage. If the program proves to be effective, it could be included in future patient care strategy.
President and CEO Robert Earley told members of the JPS board of managers that telemedicine is a great way to increase the reach of medical caregivers while most efficiently using their resources. Telemedicine gives doctors and nurses the ability to diagnose health problems, give advice to patients and monitor the recovery of patients remotely through the use of technology.
“This is not unlike 15 years ago when people started to talk about what we were going to do with robotics,” Earley told the board of managers, explaining that it was simply the latest development in the ever-evolving field of medicine. “We need to look at how we are addressing wellness, not just how we address sickness.”
Dr. Timothy Niacaris, Chief Medical Information Officer at JPS, said telemedicine isn’t a new concept. People for years have had the ability to call their doctor, describe their symptoms and get a prescription called in to their pharmacy. But advances in technology have allowed much more capability including video conferencing that would allow a surgeon to see how a wound is healing and data monitoring that would share the patient’s vital signs with a physician over the internet or let the doctor know how a diabetic patient is responding to medication.
“The object is to provide better care at a more affordable cost,” Niacaris said. “Maintaining and improving the quality of care we can provide while decreasing costs is vital to the future of JPS.”
The federal government has endorsed telemedicine as a way to deliver Medicaid services more efficiently. States are encouraged to use the flexibility inherent in federal law to create innovative payment methodologies for services that incorporate telemedicine technology, according to the Medicaid.gov website.
Niacaris said, while the concept of telemedicine is being embraced, specific plans for how it would be used are still being formulated. He envisioned a scenario where instead of calling for an appointment at the employee clinic and driving across town to go there for a diagnosis and a prescription, the employee could call in and avoid unnecessary travel to get needed care.
“It’s not only convenient for the employee,” Niacaris said of the benefits of remote medicine. “You also don’t endanger other people by exposing them to the sick person when they have to go out to the doctor.”
Earley said he will bring plans for the pilot program to finance committee of the Board of Managers.
“Employee health. That’s a nice place to start, with our employees,” Earley said. “We’ll be looking, in the future, at continuous programs with telemedicine and if that’s the answer for our patients and where we go.”
While convenience and fiscal responsibility are important, Earley said JPS will continue to make providing the best care possible its top priority.
“Really, it’s that thin line we’re hoping to balance between technology and caring touch,” Earley told the Board of Managers. “We want to reduce the number of people coming into the hospital, but we have to keep that caring sense. If we can do that, we’ll be in good shape.”