Telehealth vendor selection - Get intentional, not overwhelmed

In a recent article, Monica Leslie, Senior Consultant at Schumacher Clinical Partners explains why you should get intentional, not overwhelmed when selecting a Telehealth vendor.

The term "vendor overwhelmed" in the Telehealth market is alive and well. In a global market that's predicted to more than double in value over the next several years – from $14.3B to an estimated $36.2B – it is no surprise the number of vendors that have flooded the market. If your organization is overwhelmed at the thought of navigating the route to telehealth vendor selection, I assure you you're not alone.

As a vendor agnostic Telehealth Consulting team, we specialize in helping clients plan, design, select and implement telehealth programs. Vendor selection is a key step in the program design process. We've interviewed dozens of vendors and through that have amassed a wealth of information on leading solutions and key differentiators. Even as unbiased observers, it's safe to say that not all vendors are created equal, however, it can be difficult to see through the promising sales pitches and the shiny marketing slicks. An effective approach to vendor selection goes beyond the pitch and digs deep into the details to understand true fitness for an organization's unique program needs.

The key to finding the vendor solution that is best for your telehealth program is to approach the process from dual angles with clarity. First, it's imperative to understand the details of your organization's telehealth strategic plan. Second, utilize a uniform approach tailored to your organization's needs when assessing each vendor solution.

Viewpoint 1 – Get Really Clear on Your Organization's Telehealth Strategy

Before heading to the vendor market for meetings and demos, you need to get really clear on the details of your organization's telehealth strategy. If you weren't part of the planning process, ask to see the plan or arrange a meeting with team members who were involved in crafting it. In order to properly assess vendor options, details such as organizational history with telehealth, program objectives, target population, existing technology/infrastructure and planned service lines are important to understand.

Some key considerations and expert tips to help sharpen this angle include:

What telehealth business model has my organization chosen to focus on?

Expert Tip: Know the model your organization is planning to use for telehealth services to assess vendor fit to operational and financial goals of the program. Operational model examples include: acute visits, direct to consumer video visits, remote monitoring, provider-to-provider, store-and-forward, medication adherence, and patient engagement. Financial model examples include: fee for service, shared risk, value and quality-based, etc. Additionally, it's important to understand if your organization plans to staff the program using existing internal resources or contracting with external resources. Some vendors offer full service solutions, while others only offer technology.

What service lines do we plan to offer?

Expert Tip: Whether your organization is single service focused or a health system, it's important to consider the service line(s) your organization will offer telehealth services in. Some vendors may not be able to offer you a clinical application or technology to meet your needs, while others have built subject matter expertise in specific services. If your organization seeks to add telehealth services in telepsychiatry, urgent care, home care/geriatrics, teleICU, then use the initial and future expected service offerings to narrow your search results, while keeping in mind the need for future growth to scale your program.

What technology, if any, have we already invested in?

Expert Tip: Understand what technology/infrastructure already exists at your organization. Maybe you have delved into the world of telehealth once before and now choose to centralize your program to create synergies and scale. Whatever the situation, understand the extent to which any existing infrastructure can be leveraged. This could have large implications on the total cost of ownership for your telehealth technology.

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