Telehealth and Indian healthcare: moving to scale and sustainability

Telemed J E Health. 2013 May;19(5):377-9. doi: 10.1089/tmj.2012.0296. Epub 2013 Jan 5.

Abstract

Telehealth innovation has brought important improvements in access to quality healthcare for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Despite these improvements, substantive work remains before telehealth capability can be more available and sustainable across Indian healthcare. Some of this work will rely on system change guided by new care model development. Such care model development depends on expansion of telehealth reimbursement. The U.S. Indian healthcare system is an ideal framework for implementing and evaluating large-scale change in U.S. telehealth reimbursement policy.

MeSH terms

  • Alaska
  • Delivery of Health Care / economics
  • Delivery of Health Care / ethnology*
  • Diffusion of Innovation
  • Humans
  • Indians, North American*
  • Reimbursement Mechanisms / economics
  • Telemedicine / economics
  • Telemedicine / organization & administration*
  • United States