Pediatric Emergency Telehealth

Pediatric Emergency Telehealth (PET) has enormous potential to help address the health care needs of children and families. In some regions, health care is particularly fragmented or difficult to access for the pediatric patient. Telehealth may bridge those gaps, improve continuity of care, and enhance communication between children’s hospitals and general pediatricians practicing in both rural and urban communities. Launching a PET service requires careful preparation with community health networks and stakeholders to ensure that the model is providing adjunct services as opposed to on-demand primary care services. General pediatricians’ offices that lack the capability to implement a virtual care system may seek consultation from the PET service in terms of triage, recommendations, or direct patient care. A substantial effort is required at initiation of a PET program but is useful in mitigating disease exposure such as Covid-19, as well as improving emergency department metrics such as patient satisfaction, length of stay, wait times, and revenue capture.