OPPORTUNITIES

Andy Eck (Regional Director of Operations, Prineville) is making progress in coordinating with the CCO board regarding expansion of the RPM program outside Mosaic during year three. 

 

SUCCESSES

Andy Eck  (Regional Director of Operations, Prineville) has been asked to attend the upcoming Oregon Health Authority conference in June.   This governing body for Medicare want to know more details about our program, so Andy will give a mini presentation and lead a forum regarding the program.  The networking that this conference, the one in Seattle recently and others is wonderful. 

 

CHALLENGES

OHCHIN interface software testing and implementation continues to be a challenge.  Reports from developers do not coincide with actions noted those involved in launch at sites.  This translates into continued inefficiencies based on the need to maintain records in two seperate EMR systems. 

 

Check it out!

I found an organization called Telehealth Alliance of Oregon on the web and, while their website does not specifically talk about what we are doing, it does highlight how telemedicine is being implemented in our state.  Additionally, it has a blog area with articles and topics that might be of interest to those  visiting our site.  Check it out!

http://www.ortelehealth.org/content/who-tao

MOSAIC MEDICAL IN THE NEWS!

 Exciting news article published in our local paper; follow the link to see!

          On the job: Community health worker |

 Specialized outreach worker reduces barriers to care

http://www.bendbulletin.com/health/3004536-151/on-the-job-community-health-worker#

More NRTRC Annual Conference Notes

In addition to the presentation by our team going extremely well, there were many attendees discussing what role telehealth can and does play in behavioral health. It was encouraging to realize how long the concept of telehealth has been in practice and to see how its grown as technological advances have grown to support it. There are some thoughts on how this might implemented into our current program; early stages as of yet, but certainly something to look into.

 

FUTURE GROWTH

We continue to investigate partnering with the larger care organizations in our area to see where this program might fit to support their patients. Identifying the population and how to tap into is remains a high priority. The idea behind it always being continuity of care, patient engagement and supporting patients in a way that will encourage their engagement.

Observations

What are the staffing needs for a program like this? Based on best practices to date, this largely depends upon the number of patients brought onto the program at one time. The ideal manageable number for our locations and patient population 1 RN for every 75-100 patients. Ideally during the first year of implementation there should be at least one fulltime employee dedicated to the program then once it is in place 1 RN with 1 Per Diem Nurse seems to be sufficient.

Surveys Results: Prior to Implementation and One Year Later

Based on results of the survey given to staff prior to training and launch of the program, the majority of respondents viewed the project positively. Once training was accomplished, there was an 8.5% increase in the overall excitement of site personnel with a correlating decrease in responses that leaned toward a "wait and see attitude".

Prior to training and launch of program there was a wide range of concerns; however, the majority dealt with how the program would affect each individual's job responsibilities, the technological support for the remoteness of patients and patient compliance. During the past year these areas have become more clearly defined. Most notably the technology used at first wasn't sufficient to ensure continuous monitoring. This area is one of the most critical and will vary greatly depending on population specific demographics; cell tower vs land line vs VOIP. Understanding patient and site technology capabilities prio to launch could ensure a smoother implementation.

Additional comments provided during the survey addressed the tech issues with suggestions including options that would allow patients to view results and offer healthcare support literature which might encourgage patients to better engage in their care.

Efficiency issues were also mentioned such as ensuring there is a streamlined interface between the Healthcare Records Management System (Epic) and the software used by RNs to input program information (Ideal Life). This would decrease the burden of recordkeeping placed on personnel.