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JAINA Telehealth Committee By Girish J Shah
JAINA Announces the Telehealth Initiative to Improve Access to Quality Health Care Consultations
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth, sometimes referred to as telemedicine, is using electronic information and telecommunications technologies to extend care when the provider and the patient aren’t in the same place at the same time. Telehealth includes a variety of tools and platforms allowing clinicians to connect with one another as well as to connect with patients. Technologies for telehealth include videoconferencing, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.
Benefits of Telehealth
Telehealth allows health care providers to: • Increase continuity of care
• Extend access to care beyond normal hours • Reduce patient and provider travel burden • Help overcome clinician shortages, especially among rural and other underserved populations • Provide support for patients managing chronic health conditions • Screen patients with symptoms of COVID-19 and refer as appropriate • Enable patients who are vulnerable to COVID-19 to continue receiving medical care safely • Help stop the spread of infectious diseases • And more….
The use of telehealth for dental services, also known as tele-dentistry, is one part of this emerging field. Teledentistry is the delivery of dental care using telehealth health information technology and methodology. Common tele-dentistry modalities include live video consultation, store and forward, and remote patient monitoring. These advances in technology provide the opportunity for a patient to receive services when they are in one location and their care provider is in another. Examples of tele-dentistry services include but are not limited to risk assessment, oral exams using photos and videos, motivational interviewing, and self-management goal setting, and emergency care triage.
Geographic and socioeconomic status are common barriers to health services (i.e., long travel distance to clinics, time missed from school or work). Telehealth offers a flexible alternative for patients while addressing these barriers that contribute to overall health inequities. It also has the potential to reduce disparities in oral health outcomes among rural and urban communities.
Initiative / Charter
Among the first Telehealth pilot projects to get underway, the Primary Care Program will allow physicians and Dentists in JAINA providers listing to offer remote patient consults to the Community, here in the USA and Canada using a secure, low-cost digital connection.
Beneficiaries
The Community-at-Large here in the USA and Canada - people experiencing an after-hour health issue, facing emergency without an established healthcare provider, seeking a consult, traveling and in need of assistance Our goal is to provide the same level of services to Sadhus and Sadhvijis in India
Scope of Services
Tele-consultations: •Prevention •Risk Assessment •Exams •Specialty referral •Patient administered care •Self-management support, patient education •Care coordination
Tele-diagnosis: •Exams •Risk assessment •Treatment planning •Patient education •Prevention •Patient administered care •Self-management support •Case Management •Care coordination
Tele-triage: •Screening •Prioritize urgent dental care/close clinical examination •Emergencies •Trauma •Acute Infections •Remote assessment of school children
Tele-monitoring: •Replacement for in person visits •Remote monitoring •Frequent virtual visits to monitor progress of treatment or condition
Impact
Among the first Telehealth pilot projects to get underway, the Primary Care Program will allow physicians and Dentists in JAINA providers listing to offer remote patient consults using a secure, low-cost digital connection.
An Earnest Request to Physicians and Dentists to Join the Panel
JAINA would like you to participate as a clinical partner in this meaningful initiative under the chairmanship of Girish J Shah. Please send your name, City, State, Mobile number, and email address via email to gjshahdds@gmail.com. We will follow-up by phone in the upcoming weeks to review any participation questions you may have. We look forward to hearing from you. You can also reach us at 631-662-4849
Telehealth implementation is a team effort that requires on the-ground knowledge, open communication, and longterm commitment for success. While you won’t need to directly engage all the teams right away, it’s helpful to identify who will be on which teams and consider when and how different players will be involved in Core, Leadership, Advisory, and Implementation teams.
Girish Shah is JAINA’s Regional Vice President for the Northeast USA. He has doctorate degree in Dentistry and has gone through extensive post-doctoral training. Dr. Shah is a renowned authority in his field and holds several prestigious academic titles and appointments. For his Contribution of time and financial support for the community-at-large to fulfill the JAINA mission based upon a non-sectarian approach, he was awarded JAINA Presidential award in 2021. He has been appointed as a JAINA Ambassador. He can be reached at: gjshahdds@gmail.com 631-662-4849
