As telemedicine adoption spreads in the U.S., so does the need for guidance and standards. Physicians and other medical professionals and healthcare institutions need models to maintain standards of care while maximizing the opportunities deliver telemedicine efficiently and effectively. The American Board of Telehealth (ABT) recently announced a Teleprimary Care Certificate Program for primary care teams.
The Teleprimary Care Certificate Program is the third telehealth certificate program developed by ABT. The other programs include CORE Concepts in Telehealth and Telebehavioral Health. The Teleprimary Care is a self-paced, online program that helps primary care teams overcome challenges to telemedicine such as reimbursement parity and infrastructure costs. The program’s goal is to provide a knowledge-based model to assist primary care teams shift their current care programs to include the best features of in-person care with the best elements of remote care.
Curriculum topics in the Teleprimary Care Certificate program include Barriers and Opportunities of Teleprimary Care; Operations, Workflow, and Productivity in the Ambulatory Setting; Legal, Regulatory, and Ethical Considerations; Providing Care via a Remote Medium; and Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health.
Telemedicine admittedly is still in its infancy. The field will mature with continued development of biometric sensors, patient-clinician communications modes, and care team response models. The need for training on the best telemedicine practices to maintain and improve standards of care will also continue to develop as the field matures.
