Top 10 Tips for Making Telehealth Work: A Physican’s

Perspective

K. Michael Rodriguez, MD, FAAFP

View from my back yard

And just down the street…..

This is where I hang out most of the day

My initial goals…

• Reach patients who don’t have access to me/my office

• Accommodate tech savvy folks who don’t have the time or the interest to come to my office

Started by synchronously connecting

Growing pains

Revised needs

• Patients did not need to log into a system• Patients could be queued (waiting room)• EHR agnostic (providers on multiple platform)• Scalable

I looked around at multiple platforms

Patients click on the link to begin their doctor visit

Agreement with the patient

“It’s nice to know my doctor is right here in my living room.”

My other waiting room…

Patients become active in their care…

Examples of Appropriate Diagnoses…

Patients need a life line…

Goals of Telemedicine Program

1.Engage patients2.Retain patients3.Attract new patients

Must engage your staff in the process!

Lessons Learned

1. Know your goals up front (eg. decrease utilization, attract new patients, retain new patients)

2. Know what your customers want (they may not actually know)3. Identify your workflow (identify your most precious resource)4. Choose a platform (notice this is the 4th item on the list)5. Get good legal advice6. Keep it simple 7. Let gravity be your guide (duct tape should signal the need for a new process)8. Engage your staff (they may not all share your goals just yet)9. Throw patients a lifeline – make it easy for them to see you.10. Get patients active in their care11. BONUS - When at a critical juncture…..remember that it’s about engaging your patient

Contact info:

K. Michael Rodriguez, MD, FAAFP

northernrod@me.com

www.linkedin.com/in/k-michael-rodriguez-md