Today's Practice: Changing the Business of Medicine TP2018Q2DigitalEditionWeb | Page 12

P R A CT I CE M A NA GE M E NT
Telehealth Implementation
leadership is established early on and maintained
throughout the implementation. To achieve this, it’s
crucial to identify key providers who will champion the
program. These individuals should be engaged and
“forward-thinking”, willing to endure any obstacles
early on as the kinks are worked out, and capable of
enabling organizational buy-in through effective
communication and leadership.
Ashley Amaral
es can be intercepted before they become issues. Keep
it simple, commit the necessary time and resources,
engage stakeholders, and be patient. Organizations
that follow this simple framework can and will achieve
success.
meet the author:
Change is difficult – for both people and for organiza-
tions. Understanding the full scope of this change and
planning for risks ahead of time will be crucial to the
program’s success. Look to the past for examples of
recent projects or technological changes that your
organization has endured. What can be learned from
those experiences and applied to the Telehealth program
to ensure it succeeds?
While Telehealth does have the potential to solve many
challenges facing healthcare providers today, it can be
risky and frustrating if not done thoughtfully. Though
there isn’t a single formula for success, if organizations
spend the time defining the program goals, strategy, and
preparing for potential organizational impacts, challeng-
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Ashley Amaral
VP Commercial Delivery
OTTO Health
Ashley came to OTTO Health with over 10 years of experience
in the healthcare space. Most relevant was her role as
Telehealth implementation manager at American Well. More
recently, Ashley worked at a management consulting firm,
helping healthcare clients implement value-based care
programs to improve access to affordable care for patients,
such as building ACO strategies and designing and imple-
menting IT transformation programs.
TODAY ’ S P R A C T I C E : C H A N G I N G T H E BUS I NES S OF M EDI C I NE