Spotlight with Dr. Courtney Summers-Day: Advancements and Challenges in Telehealth and Telemedicine Implementation
Meet Dr. Courtney Summers-Day
Dr. Courtney Summers-Day is a health professional working at the Imperial Beach Community Clinic, focusing on leveraging telehealth to improve accessibility and efficiency in patient care. With a deep understanding of the challenges and benefits of telehealth, Dr. Summers-Day advocates for its integration into modern healthcare practices to enhance patient outcomes, especially for those with limited physical access to healthcare facilities.
Q&A:
Q: What do you see as the largest benefits of telehealth and telemedicine, and how have patient interactions changed since its introduction?
A: The primary benefit of telehealth at the Imperial Beach Community Clinic is the improved accessibility it provides, particularly for patients who face transportation barriers. This has been especially crucial for opiate treatment patients who need frequent, but brief, check-ins and can now do so without the need to travel.
Initially, with the onset of the pandemic in 2020, nearly all our appointments were virtual. As the situation normalized, the proportion of virtual visits decreased but still represents about 20% of our consultations. This hybrid approach offers flexibility and meets various patient needs and preferences.
Q: What operational changes and technological enhancements are clinics focusing on?
A: The focus is improving the efficiency of our operations, particularly through enhancing our charting processes and our electronic health records (EHR) system.
We are exploring AI-driven solutions like scribes to reduce the administrative burden, which is a significant factor in provider burnout.
Additionally, we aim to make our EHR system more user-friendly by reducing the number of necessary clicks for navigation, aiming to streamline provider interactions and improve overall efficiency.
Q: How are asynchronous communication methods integrated into patient care management, and what challenges do they present?
A: Asynchronous communication methods such as emails and texting are integral to our patient care management, allowing for efficient, non-urgent communications. However, these methods pose challenges, particularly in billing, as they are not currently recognized for provider compensation for the time spent on these activities. This area requires adjustment to ensure providers are adequately compensated for their full scope of work.
Q: How is your clinic integrating AI voice transcription services, and what are the implications for different types of patient encounters?
A: We are actively exploring AI voice transcription services for various types of patient encounters, including in-person visits and telehealth. The integration of these technologies is under careful review to ensure compatibility with our existing systems and to navigate the payment structure challenges posed by our current billing models.
Q: What opportunities do you see for expanding telehealth services, particularly in opiate treatment, and how are you addressing the associated billing challenges?
A: Telehealth is notably under utilized in the area of opiate treatment for stable patients, who would benefit greatly from regular remote check-ins. This would enhance accessibility and continuity of care while reducing the frequency of in-person visits. We are tackling the billing complexities by consulting with CMS and adapting our practices to align with Medicare and Medicaid frameworks, ensuring that our telehealth and AI integrations are financially viable and compliant.
Q: Considering the significant proportion of your patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid, how does this affect your operational and billing strategies?
A: Approximately 25% of our patients are on Medicare, with a larger percentage covered by Medicaid, influencing our strategic approach to billing and service delivery. We strive to optimize our billing practices to accommodate the nuances of these insurance models, which includes navigating the PPS rate model and exploring additional billing opportunities for services that are not included in this fixed rate.
Q: Can you elaborate on the main operational challenges your clinic is focusing on this year, particularly in improving the electronic health record (EHR) system?
A: This year, our primary operational focus is on enhancing efficiency by improving our EHR system and reducing the administrative burden of charting. We are implementing AI-driven scribe services to alleviate provider burnout and making our EHR system more user-friendly by simplifying navigation and reducing unnecessary clicks. These improvements are aimed at enhancing both provider efficiency and patient care.
Deep Dive:
The integration of telehealth and telemedicine has profoundly transformed patient care, enhancing accessibility, especially for those challenged by transportation barriers.
This transformation has been critical for patients requiring frequent but brief interactions, such as those undergoing opiate treatment, allowing them to engage in necessary care without the logistical burdens of travel.
Since its widespread adoption during the 2020 pandemic, telehealth has settled into a sustainable model, maintaining about 20% of all consultations even post-pandemic, illustrating its enduring value and flexibility.
Clinics are increasingly focusing on operational efficiencies and technological advancements to support this shift, in fact, significant efforts are underway to refine electronic health records (EHR) systems and streamline charting processes to alleviate provider burnout.
AI-driven solutions, including the adoption of digital scribe technologies, are being explored to further reduce the administrative load, thereby enhancing focus on patient care rather than paperwork. However, challenges remain, particularly in the integration of asynchronous communication methods like emails and texting.
While these tools facilitate efficient and non-urgent communication, they also introduce complexities in billing and provider compensation, requiring new frameworks to ensure that providers are adequately compensated for their time.
Further, the integration of AI voice transcription services is being evaluated to support various patient encounters, from in-person visits to telehealth interactions. This technological integration must align with existing systems and navigate the intricacies of payment structures, particularly those set by Medicare and Medicaid, which cover a significant portion of patients.
Telehealth's potential is particularly underexplored in stable opiate treatment regimes, where it could significantly decrease the need for in-person visits, enhancing both accessibility and care continuity.