A proposed national strategy for preparing for the next pandemic or disaster includes increased access to and coverage of telehealth and a provider licensure plan.

Those ideas are contained in a study released this week by the Healthcare Leadership Council and the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy. The 25-page National Dialogue for Healthcare Innovation culls lessons learned from the current coronavirus pandemic and offers guidelines so that the nation will be better prepared if and when something this disruptive happens again.

“This initiative was well positioned to help clarify, shape, and coordinate the execution of that strategy among governmental and private sector leaders,” the report notes. “It was unique in its focus on private-public coordination; in developing recommendations applicable to a broader spectrum of disaster responses beyond pandemics (including natural disasters, bioterrorism, cybersecurity, and others); and in creating targeted, bold recommendations that private sector leaders, the new Congress, and incoming Biden Administration can adopt in the immediate term.”

It’s divided into three categories: improving data and evidence generation, strengthening innovation and supply chain readiness and innovating care delivery approaches. The third category is where most of the connected health recommendations lie.

Telehealth has surged during the COVID-19 crisis, as providers have moved as much in-person care as possible onto virtual health platforms to reduce the chance of infection, ease the crush on hospitals and improve access to care for people at home.

Read more here…

Author: Eric Wicklund

Published online: February 5, 2021