Dansky Kathryn H, Ajello Jeffrey
Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
J Healthc Manag. 2005 Jan-Feb;50(1):19-30; discussion 30-1.
Telehealth is a twenty-first century solution to an old problem-how to deliver quality health services with shrinking resources. Telehealth enables healthcare providers to interact with and monitor patients remotely, thus adding value to service delivery models. On occasion, telehealth can substitute for live encounters, saving time and resources. Furthermore, as the geriatric population increases, telehealth will support independent living by supplementing the existing network of care. To be used most effectively, however, telehealth services must be carefully planned and executed. This study investigated management practices used to promote telehealth services, focusing on strategic goals for adopting telehealth. Interviews with senior managers from 19 home health agencies identified three strategic goals for adopting telehealth: (1) clinical excellence, (2) technological preeminence, and (3) cost containment. Organizational documents were analyzed to determine the extent to which the telehealth program was featured in marketing materials. Documents included the organization's brochure, newspaper ads and articles, and each home health agency's web site. Results showed that marketing practices vary widely but are correlated with motivations to adopt telehealth. The organizations with the highest marketing scores emphasize clinical excellence as a major reason for using telehealth, whereas those with the lowest marketing scores tend to focus on cost containment. Although this study focused on management practices in home health agencies, results are applicable to hospital and outpatient services as well as to other community-based programs. Using a strategic management framework, the authors offer recommendations to help organizations develop effective marketing approaches for telehealth programs.
远程医疗是解决一个老问题的21世纪方案——即在资源不断缩减的情况下如何提供高质量的医疗服务。远程医疗使医疗服务提供者能够远程与患者互动并对其进行监测，从而为服务提供模式增添价值。有时，远程医疗可以替代现场问诊，节省时间和资源。此外，随着老年人口的增加，远程医疗将通过补充现有的护理网络来支持独立生活。然而，为了最有效地利用远程医疗服务，必须精心规划和实施。本研究调查了用于推广远程医疗服务的管理实践，重点关注采用远程医疗的战略目标。对19家家庭健康机构的高级管理人员进行的访谈确定了采用远程医疗的三个战略目标：（1）临床卓越，（2）技术卓越，（3）成本控制。对组织文件进行了分析，以确定远程医疗项目在营销材料中的呈现程度。文件包括该组织的宣传册、报纸广告和文章，以及每家家庭健康机构的网站。结果表明，营销实践差异很大，但与采用远程医疗的动机相关。营销得分最高的组织强调临床卓越是使用远程医疗的主要原因，而营销得分最低的组织则倾向于关注成本控制。尽管本研究聚焦于家庭健康机构的管理实践，但结果也适用于医院和门诊服务以及其他基于社区的项目。作者运用战略管理框架，提出了一些建议，以帮助各组织为远程医疗项目制定有效的营销方法。
