- Physicians (respiratory therapists especially)
- Medicare leadership/bureaucracy
- Potential vendors
- Medical students
- IT (security, hardware, updating software)

People affected by the new approach

All technology and software introduced must be HIPAA-compliant 
- A 1080p Video camera accompanied by a microphone and speaker
- Mounts and other hardware to modify camera angles toward the patient, ventilator, vitals, etc.
- Protective gear to ensure the safety of the hardware
- Specific virtual platforms to utilize electronic health records and for communication

Technologies implemented for the new approach

During the COVID-19 pandemic, nations adapted to the crisis by modifying existing healthcare policies, introducing new legislation, and allocating funds to accommodate the increased need for telemedicine services. For example, the United States enacted the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020 to allocate additional funding to public health agencies. Similarly, France's Ministry of Health issued a decree to reimburse video teleconsultations for patients with COVID-19 symptoms or confirmed cases, even without a prior patient-provider relationship.

Telemedicine Policy Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic

- People affected by the new approach 
- Processes/policieschanged to accomplish the new approach 
- Technologies implemented for the new approach 

University of California, Santa Cruz

Acute care refers to short-term treatments for serious injury or illness, as well as urgent medical conditions. ED and ICU are examples of healthcare departments responsible for managing acute care

Acute care via telehealth

COVID-19 is different from a normal disaster due to the virulence of the virus. Because of this, the demand for telehealth applications increases to manage the standard of care needed to treat patients all while allowing professionals to work remotely during the initial surge of the virus. 

Initial COVID-19 hospital surge

Wosik, J., Fudim, M., Cameron, B., Gellad, Z. F., Cho, A., Phinney, D., . . . Tcheng, J. (2020). Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and the rise of virtual care. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 27(6), 957-962. doi:10.1093/jamia/ocaa067

Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and the rise of virtual care

Remote or virtual care for medical decision-making in emergency situations

Telehealth for the Emergency Department (ED)

Rapid application of a Tele-ICU service during a crisis

Medical departments isolated COVID-19 cases by using a "forward triage system" to decrease unnecessary emergency department visits. This method is limited by funding and current technology, however, the needs to limit both the influx of patients and the spread of the virus have taken precedence.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After