A recent analysis by the National Institute of Health shows that Telehealth currently accounts for 23% of all medical encounters across the country. Several clinical specialties report virtual visit rates currently exceeding 50%. To ensure quality care in this rapidly expanding field, the American Heart Association’s Telehealth Association Center and the University of North Carolina’s National University Chapel Hill Center are building and disseminating virtual care resources through new contracts. The agreement outlines our commitment to cultivate collaborative research initiatives and develop frameworks that enhance excellence and value in virtual care.
The American Heart Association, one of the world’s leading nonprofits, focuses on future changes in health for all, and UNC-Chapel Hill Vive shares common priorities and interests in advance of telehealth programs through evidence-based research and education.
This collaboration represents a key step forward in fostering innovation and impact in telehealth. As a team, we develop frameworks to overcome existing barriers, advance telehealth implementation and evaluation, examine the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and generate new real-world knowledge to improve care quality and outcomes. During the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual care became a necessary shortly and has since evolved into a sophisticated integrated care delivery system. Each organization has its own strengths and expertise that can collectively address current telehealth challenges and generate new evidence and resources to promote telehealth innovation and policy. ”
Saif Khairat, Ph.D., MPH, Professor of Digital Health and AI, Director of Vive Center for Vive, Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina
Founded in 2023, the association’s telehealth centre leverages research, policy, professional education, professional accreditation and quality improvement programs to promote integration of telehealth into care.
“The American Heart Association Telehealth Association Center is dedicated to keeping people in a center of care,” said MD Dr. Lee Schwam, a volunteer member of the FAHA, a volunteer member of the American Heart Association Center at the Telehealth Expert Panel. Senior Vice President and Chief Health Officer at Yale New Haven Health. Associate Dean of the School of Digital Strategy and Change at Yale School of Medicine. “We are excited to work with UNC-Chapel Hill Vive to combine mutual expertise to expand the scope of American Heart Association’s research and educational content. This collaboration will enhance telehealth education and training for current and future healthcare professionals, and translate evidence of connected care into practice through innovative teaching methods.”
UNC-Chapel Hill Vive is funded by the National Center for Advanced Clinical Sciences (NCATS), a division of the National Institutes of Health, and is committed to building a robust coalition of national resources, fostering collaborative research initiatives, and developing implementation and assessment frameworks that enhance the value of virtual care.
“Our ultimate goal is to promote translational research that promotes the gap between lab discovery and real-world impact for patients and healthcare providers in urban and rural settings,” Khairat said.
Through this collaborative effort, the organization is collaborating with:
- Promoting the integration of telehealth into patient care through evidence-based research;
- Create evidence-based resources and guides to support the development of integrated telehealthcare models.
- Improve expert knowledge through the development of educational resources
- Expanding the spread of science through networking and education.
sauce:
