Telehealth: Opportunities to Improve Access, Quality, and Cost in Pediatric Care

Authors

Alison Curfman, Department of Pediatrics, Mercy Clinic, St Louis, Missouri.
Jesse M. Hackell, Department of Pediatrics, New York Medical College and Boston Children's Health Physicians, Pomona, New York.Follow
Neil E. Herendeen, Department of Pediatrics, Golisano Children's Hospital, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York.
Joshua Alexander, Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.Follow
James P. Marcin, Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of California Davis and University of California Davis Children's Hospital, Sacramento, California.
William B. Moskowitz, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Children's of Mississippi and University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi.
Chelsea E. Bodnar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.
Harold K. Simon, Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia.
S David McSwain, Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.

Author Type(s)

Faculty

DOI

10.1542/peds.2021-056035

Journal Title

Pediatrics

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-1-2022

Department

Pediatrics

Abstract

The use of telehealth technology to connect with patients has expanded significantly over the past several years, particularly in response to the global coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. This technical report describes the present state of telehealth and its current and potential applications. Telehealth has the potential to transform the way care is delivered to pediatric patients, expanding access to pediatric care across geographic distances, leveraging the pediatric workforce for care delivery, and improving disparities in access to care. However, implementation will require significant efforts to address the digital divide to ensure that telehealth does not inadvertently exacerbate inequities in care. The medical home model will continue to evolve to use telehealth to provide high-quality care for children, particularly for children and youth with special health care needs, in accordance with current and evolving quality standards. Research and metric development are critical for the development of evidence-based best practices and policies in these new models of care. Finally, as pediatric care transitions from traditional fee-for-service payment to alternative payment methods, telehealth offers unique opportunities to establish value-based population health models that are financed in a sustainable manner.

Recommended Citation

Curfman, A., Hackell, J. M., Herendeen, N. E., Alexander, J., Marcin, J. P., Moskowitz, W. B., Bodnar, C. E., Simon, H. K., & McSwain, S. D. (2022). Telehealth: Opportunities to Improve Access, Quality, and Cost in Pediatric Care. Pediatrics, 149 (3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-056035