HospitalNet

October 7, 2011 Bob Herman wrote an article in Becker's Hospital Review discussing the 12 key elements to support a viable health IT and Telehelth Infrastructure.  Bob interviewed Kim Lamb, executive director of OHN, to get her opinion on the 12 elements.

These elements are:

1. Strategy & Vision

2. Collaboration

3. Connectivity. "Telehealth and health IT networks do not create themselves. Ms. Lamb says statewide health networks like the OHN are like the highways of telehealth, and no one can drive anywhere unless the highways are able to support the future healthcare delivery system and are well-connected. Similarly, hospitals and providers need to have solid connections on their side if telehealth is a serious feature of their future plans. "We need to have a means to physically deliver high-speed, high-quality infrastructure that can support current and future applications," Ms. Lamb says. "You don't have value if you don't have a means to connect centers of excellence and specialists to a rural community." "

4. Implementation

5. Information

6. Support. "Hospitals never take a break for patient care, and now the same will be required of broadband connections and other mediums for telehealth. Ms. Lamb says that broadband connections, as well as all the programs and services that run on them, must be maintained at all hours of the day as well at both ends, which will require more resources and potentially more staff."

7. Measurement

8. Education

9. Recruitment & Retention

10. Credentialing & Privileging

11. Reimbursement

12. Policy

To read more visit this article.