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Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic created critical challenges for hospitals and healthcare providers. Suddenly clinics were forced to close; scheduled visits were cancelled; emergency rooms were overcrowded; hospital beds, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply; and staff were faced with rapidly changing circumstances, care protocols, trauma and personal risk. In order to better address the ongoing the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, the National Telemedicine Technology Assessment resource Center (TTAC) was asked to develop an Pandemic Response Action Plan that would allow its user to address critical issues with available telemedicine and related technologies. The project was constructed into three phases: Phase 1. Develop a Pandemic Response Action Plan (this document) and a Policy document which identifies the regulatory challenges in the Pandemic Response as well as policy recommendations (published separately). Phase 2. Publish the plan and policy documents. Phase 3 Look at healthcare providers who used the approaches, tools and technology in the Pandemic Action Plan and document the results (to be published separately). TTAC will also assess selected technology and publish results as part of their normal course of services. Materials and Methods : A multi-disciplinary team was created representing leadership expertise and key stakeholders in healthcare delivery during a pandemic (administration, infection control, physicians, nurses, public health, contingency planning, disaster response, information technology) as well as a facilitator. The group used structured brainstorming, current literature and iterative review to identify the most critical challenges facing healthcare providers during the current Covid 19 pandemic. The team then used structured brainstorming, professional experience and current literature to take a deeper look into these impacts, identify applicable solutions and develop a plan to address the critical challenges using telemedicine and related technologies. Result: A Pandemic Action Response Plan that describes the critical challenges and then identifies approaches, tools and technology to address them as well as identifying samples of the technology. Conclusions: The impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic was severe and identified multiple critical challenges and weaknesses in most healthcare providers. Applying the approaches, tools and technology in this Pandemic Action Plan will help providers address these challenges and increase the capabilities and resilience of their organizations in the provision of care during this and future pandemics.

Reports, studies, and surveys have demonstrated telehealth provides opportunities to make health care more efficient, better coordinated, convenient, and affordable. Telehealth can also help address health income and access disparities in underserved communities by removing location and transportation barriers, unproductive time away from work, childcare expenses, and so on. Despite evidence showing high-quality outcomes, satisfaction, and success rates (e.g., 95% patient satisfaction rate and 84% success rate in which patients were able to completely resolve their medical concerns during a telehealth visit), nationwide adoption of telehealth has been quite low due to policy and regulatory barriers, constraints, and complexities.

To expand access to mental health treatment in an underserved area, the University of Washington (UW) and Dayton General Hospital (DGH) entered into a partnership to provide comprehensive telepsychiatry services to individuals living in rural Columbia County. Outpatient care is provided by behavioral health consultants at two DGH-affiliated primary care clinics in consultation with a UW-based psychiatrist with expertise in addictions. Inpatient care is supported by regular consultation with UW psychiatrists as well as unscheduled "curbside" consults with attending UW psychiatrists. Patients with complex treatment options can participate in direct videoconferencing sessions with a UW psychiatrist.

Objectives: With ever increasing mandates to reduce costs and increase the quality of pain management, health care institutions are faced with the challenge of adopting innovative technologies and shifting workflows to provide value-based care. Transaction cost economic analysis can provide comparative evaluation of the consequences of these changes in the delivery of care. The aim of this study was to establish proof-of-concept using transaction cost analysis to examine chronic pain management in-clinic and through telehealth., Methods: Participating health care providers were asked to identify and describe two comparable completed transactions for patients with chronic pain: one consultation between patient and specialist in-clinic and the other a telehealth presentation of a patient's case by the primary care provider to a team of pain medicine specialists. Each provider completed two on-site interviews. Focus was on the time, value of time, and labor costs per transaction. Number of steps, time, and costs for providers and patients were identified., Results: Forty-six discrete steps were taken for the in-clinic transaction, and 27 steps were taken for the telehealth transaction. Although similar in costs per patient ($332.89 in-clinic vs. $376.48 telehealth), the costs accrued over 153 business days in-clinic and 4 business days for telehealth. Time elapsed between referral and completion of initial consultation was 72 days in-clinic, 4 days for telehealth., Conclusions: U.S. health care is moving toward the use of more technologies and practices, and the information provided by transaction cost analyses of care delivery for pain management will be important to determine actual cost savings and benefits., (Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Managing chronic pain effectively is often challenging for health care providers and patients. Telehealth technologies can bridge geographic distance and improve patients' quality of care in communities where access to pain specialists has previously been unavailable. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a telehealth intervention (TelePain) designed to address the need for pain specialist consultation regarding pain and symptom management issues in non-academic medical centers. We describe the theoretical foundation and development of a multifaceted intervention using a cluster randomized clinical trial design. Health care providers and their patients with chronic pain are enrolled in the study. Patient participants receive the intervention (report of symptoms and receipt of a pain graph) weekly for 8 weeks and are contacted at 12 weeks for completion of post-intervention follow-up measures. Their providers attend TelePain sessions which involve a didactic presentation on an evidence-based topic related to pain management followed by patient case presentations and discussion by community clinicians. Symptom management recommendations for each patient case are made by a panel of pain specialists representing internal medicine, addiction medicine, rehabilitation medicine, anesthesiology, psychiatry, and nursing. The outcomes assessed in this randomized trial focus on pain intensity, pain's interference on function and sleep, and anxiety, depression, and cost-effectiveness. Some of the challenges and lessons that we have learned early in implementing the TelePain intervention are also reported., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The Pacific Northwest of the US is a large, sparsely populated region. A telehealth programme called Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) was tested in this region in 2009. Weekly videoconferences were held in the areas of hepatitis C, chronic pain, integrated addictions and psychiatry, and HIV/AIDS. Rural clinicians presented cases to a panel of experts at an academic medical centre and received management advice and access to best practices. During the trial, more than 900 clinicians participated, and more than 700 patient cases were presented. At the end of June 2012, a total of 23 videoconference clinics for hepatitis C had been held, 16 clinics in addiction and psychiatry, 97 in chronic pain and 13 in HIV/AIDS. The Project ECHO model improves access to health care. It may provide a way to bring specialist care to rural areas in developing countries.

Objectives: This project is aimed at determining the feasibility and effect of using videoconferencing to deliver cancer-related pain management education and case consultation to health care providers in rural AI/AN communities., Methods: The project provided four educational sessions and nine case conferences to health care providers at tribal clinics in Washington State and Alaska using videoconferencing with pain experts at the University of Washington. A cross-sectional, descriptive study design was used to survey the participating providers. Measures included satisfaction with the telehealth system and self-perceived competence in pain management., Results: Fifty-two providers from 11 sites attended the educational sessions. Ninety-three providers from 16 sites participated in the case conferences. Case conference participants scored significantly higher on perceived competence in treating pain compared with clinic providers who did not attend. Educational session participants and case conference participants both reported a high level of satisfaction with videoconferencing., Conclusions: Telehealth is a feasible and effective way to deliver cancer-related pain management education and increase competence among rural health care providers., (Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Healthcare providers serving rural populations face numerous barriers to accessing educational programming. Difficulties accessing continuing professional education contribute to the challenges of providing comprehensive health care in the rural setting. Telehealth can inform and educate rural providers about changes in medicine and evidence-based practices, both of which may help them provide quality care. The Native People for Cancer Control Telehealth Network used telehealth technology to deliver a cancer education series in 2008 and 2009 to Washington and Alaska rural healthcare providers who treated American Indians and Alaska Native people. Customizing presentation content to providers' educational needs encouraged attendance. Evaluation indicated videoconferencing technology was positively received for delivery of the educational sessions. This series demonstrated videoconferencing was a satisfactory means of delivering real-time, interactive cancer educational programming to providers who might not otherwise have access to such programs.

Objective: We aimed to develop a telehealth network to deliver postdiagnosis cancer care clinical services and education to American Indian and Alaska Native patients, their families, and their healthcare providers. We also sought to identify the challenges and opportunities of implementing such a telehealth-based application for this rural and underserved population., Materials and Methods: We followed a participatory formative evaluation approach to engage all stakeholders in the telehealth network design and implementation. This approach allowed us to identify and address technical and infrastructure barriers, lack of previous experience with telehealth, and political, legal, and historical challenges., Results: Between September 2006 and August 2009, nine tribal clinics in Washington and 26 clinical sites in Alaska had participated in the telehealth network activities. Network programming included cancer education presentations, case conferences, and cancer survivor support groups. Twenty-seven cancer education presentations were held, with a total provider attendance of 369. Forty-four case conferences were held, with a total of 129 cases discussed. In total, 513 patient encounters took place. Keys to success included gaining provider and community acceptance, working closely with respected tribal members, understanding tribal sovereignty and governance, and working in partnership with cultural liaisons., Conclusion: The telehealth network exceeded expectations in terms of the number of participating sites and the number of patients served. Following a participatory formative evaluation approach contributed to the success of this telehealth network and demonstrated the importance of community involvement in all stages of telehealth system design and implementation.

A descriptive study was conducted to determine the information needs of American Indian (AI) and Alaska Native (AN) cancer survivors and assess satisfaction with and acceptability of telehealth support group services for cancer survivors in AI and AN rural communities. AI and AN cancer survivors were asked to complete the Telehealth Satisfaction Survey and two open-ended questions, one regarding information needs and one seeking comments and suggestions about cancer support group meetings. Thirty-two surveys were returned. Information about nutrition during treatment and treatment-related side effects were the most sought after topics. Participants valued the opportunity to interact with other AI and AN cancer survivors who also lived in remote locations and the usefulness of the information presented. The link with geographically distant survivors was valuable to participants as they felt they were no longer alone in their cancer experiences. Determining survivors' information needs provides meaningful topics for future support group education. Telehealth is a viable way to facilitate cancer support groups to AI and AN cancer survivors in rural communities.

Reports, studies, and surveys have demonstrated telehealth provides opportunities to make health care more efficient, better coordinated, convenient, and affordable. Telehealth can also help address health income and access disparities in underserved communities by removing location and transportation barriers, unproductive time away from work, childcare expenses, and so on. Despite evidence showing high-quality outcomes, satisfaction, and success rates (e.g., 95% patient satisfaction rate and 84% success rate in which patients were able to completely resolve their medical concerns during a telehealth visit), nationwide adoption of telehealth has been quite low due to policy and regulatory barriers, constraints, and complexities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic created critical challenges for hospitals and healthcare providers. Suddenly clinics were forced to close; scheduled visits were cancelled; emergency rooms were overcrowded; hospital beds, equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) was in short supply; and staff were faced with rapidly changing circumstances, care protocols, trauma and personal risk. In order to better address the ongoing the Covid-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics, the National Telemedicine Technology Assessment resource Center (TTAC) was asked to develop an Pandemic Response Action Plan that would allow its user to address critical issues with available telemedicine and related technologies. The project was constructed into three phases: Phase 1. Develop a Pandemic Response Action Plan (this document) and a Policy document which identifies the regulatory challenges in the Pandemic Response as well as policy recommendations (published separately). Phase 2. Publish the plan and policy documents. Phase 3 Look at healthcare providers who used the approaches, tools and technology in the Pandemic Action Plan and document the results (to be published separately). TTAC will also assess selected technology and publish results as part of their normal course of services. Materials and Methods: A multi-disciplinary team was created representing leadership expertise and key stakeholders in healthcare delivery during a pandemic (administration, infection control, physicians, nurses, public health, contingency planning, disaster response, information technology) as well as a facilitator. The group used structured brainstorming, current literature and iterative review to identify the most critical challenges facing healthcare providers during the current Covid 19 pandemic. The team then used structured brainstorming, professional experience and current literature to take a deeper look into these impacts, identify applicable solutions and develop a plan to address the critical challenges using telemedicine and related technologies. Result: A Pandemic Action Response Plan that describes the critical challenges and then identifies approaches, tools and technology to address them as well as identifying samples of the technology. Conclusions: The impact of the Covid 19 Pandemic was severe and identified multiple critical challenges and weaknesses in most healthcare providers. Applying the approaches, tools and technology in this Pandemic Action Plan will help providers address these challenges and increase the capabilities and resilience of their organizations in the provision of care during this and future pandemics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]