The Streamlining IT Infrastructure for a Successful Telehealth Program learning collaborative series focused on best practices, common solutions, key considerations, and other strategies for success when implementing telehealth technologies in a health center. 

Health centers participated in four structured virtual sessions where they engaged with subject matter expert, Rachel Dixon, President and Executive Director of Prime Health, and in didactic learning and peer sharing and discussion. Session topics included: assessing technology and identifying best practices for streamlining telehealth workflows, aligning telehealth technology with financial sustainability, telehealth technology vendor considerations, and operationalizing telehealth technology strategies.

This series is particular to health centers and oriented to:

• Health centers that may have started a telehealth program, but pulled back and are not sure how to go forward, or

• Health centers that have started telehealth implementation, have some experience and are ready to take a step back and reassess the technology you are using, and

• Health centers that are ready to think about alignment of their telehealth strategy with long term financial stability.

Learning Collaborative Structure and Expectations: 

• All sessions will be hosted by HITEQ using Zoom Meeting and start at 12:00 ET.  The sessions will last about 90 minutes.

• The learning collaborative is open to staff of health center organizations across the nation. Primary Care Associations and Health Center Controlled Networks are welcome to attend with a health center in their network.

• It is ideal for health centers to identify a team of 2 – 3 multidisciplinary staff to attend each session. Teams may include staff in leadership, IT, quality improvement, and/or clinical roles.

• Sessions will be interactive and engaging. Participants are encouraged to join by video.

• Health center teams will have homework following sessions 1, 2 and 3.  

All sessions are scheduled to begin at 12:00 ET and will last 90 minutes. The session schedule is:

1. January 11: Session 1 - Assessing and Designing a Telehealth Technology Strategy
2. January 25: Session 2 - Aligning Telehealth Technology with Financial Sustainability
3. February 8: Session 3 - Shopping for Telehealth Technologies: How to Choose a Vendor
4. February 22: Session 4 - Bringing it All Together: Telehealth Technology in Action

Session 1 walked through methods for assessing technology in a practice setting, identifying gaps, and best practices for streamlining workflows and systems.