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Connected Care Solutions: Tackling Health Disparities Through Telehealth Innovation

How connected care is advancing quality care for all

Hospitals and health systems play a vital role in addressing health equity by tackling the various barriers that prevent people from accessing care. Digital tools and telehealth can make a big difference by offering a fuller picture of each patient's social circumstances. For instance, connected care lets healthcare providers see patients in their home settings, helping to spot and tackle inequities that might be missed during regular office visits. A comprehensive understanding of each patient's social circumstances enables hospitals to provide more personalized and equitable care to their communities.

“The case cancellation rate for a telemedicine appointment is half what it is for an in-person appointment in the last 24 hours prior alone.”

Teladoc Health client

$230 billion in avoidable medical costs can be attributed to health equity challenges1

50% of health outcomes are connected to non-clinical social barriers2

The benefits of telehealth and integrated care

Health organizations have an important role to play in combating the digital divide. Identifying virtual tools to measure disparities, conquering affordability gaps, offering digital navigators and financially supporting access to broadband and devices are narrowing the gap. Cultural and language barriers in clinical settings are also being circumvented through ambulatory telehealth services and interpreters integrated into the virtual experience.

Tips for adopting the shift to equity:

  1. Include consumers in key discussions on how to build systems to overcome economic and social determinants of health
  2. Create community-based partnerships that expand initiatives for equitable care access
  3. Hire clinicians with diverse backgrounds, address and train for cultural preferences
  4. Create guides and universal messaging to establish common language around equality and inclusion

Questions to ask:

  1. What are your plans to better democratize access to quality healthcare across the communities you serve?
  2. What can you do to expand the breadth of demographic and ethnographic data to better understand factors driving disparities in health outcomes?
  3. How can a virtual-first approach to care help eliminate the geographical, economic and social boundaries that have historically limited access?
  4. How can you make care available in more languages?

Can you offer care by landline for people with visual impairment and for communities that lack internet connectivity?

Ready to learn more?

1Epstein, W. "The health equity mandate." Journal of Law and the Biosciences. January 4, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8760927/
2Advisory Board. "Ensure equitable biopsychosocial care for all patients." Published 2022. https://www.advisory.com/topics/ health-equity/2021/07/ensure-equitable-biopsychosocial-care-for-all-patients
3Rodriguez, J., Shachar, C., Bates, D. New England Journal of Medicine. "Digital Inclusion as Health Care — Supporting Health Care Equity with Digital-Infrastructure Initiatives." March 24, 2022. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp2115646

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