Large-Scale Telemedicine Implementation for Outpatient Clinicians: Results From a Pandemic-Adapted Learning Collaborative

• Published in: The Journal of ambulatory care management Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 51 - 63
• Main Authors: Wong, David, Cross, Israel H, Ramers, Christian B, Imtiaz, Farah, Scott, John D, Dezan, Amanda M, Armistad, Amy J, Manteuffel, Marie E, Wagner, Dennis, Hunt, Richard C, England, William L, Kwong, Mei Wa, Dizon, Raynald A, Lamers, Vanessa, Plotkin, Ilya, Jolly, B Tilman, Jones, Walter, Daly, Darin D, Yeager, Megan, Riley, Jinean A, Krupinski, Elizabeth A, Solomon, Andrew P, Wibberly, Katharine H, Struminger, Bruce B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-04-2024
• ISSN: 0148-9917; 1550-3267
• DOI: 10.1097/JAC.0000000000000491

Learning collaboratives are seldom used outside of health care quality improvement. We describe a condensed, 10-week learning collaborative ("Telemedicine Hack") that facilitated telemedicine implementation for outpatient clinicians early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Live attendance averaged 1688 participants per session. Of 1005 baseline survey respondents, 57% were clinicians with one-third identifying as from a racial/ethnic minoritized group. Practice characteristics included primary care (71%), rural settings (51%), and community health centers (28%). Of three surveys, a high of 438 (81%) of 540 clinicians had billed ≥1 video-based telemedicine visit. Our learning collaborative "sprint" is a promising model for scaling knowledge during emergencies and addressing health inequities.