Dartmouth Health has begun discussions to sunset its Tele-ICU and Tele-ED telehealth services, affecting 13 hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont, citing unsustainable costs without external funding support.
Like other regional and national health systems, Dartmouth Health said it faces significant financial challenges as the cost of providing care continues to outpace revenue and payer reimbursements. Earlier this year, the Lebanon, N.H.-based health system announced an evaluation of all expenses and spending, leadership structures, staffing models and services, in order to maintain its commitment to the quality of care its patients depend on.
“Tele-ICU and Tele-ED are two services whose costs, at our current scale, without external support, are simply unsustainable,” a Dartmouth Health spokesperson said in a statement to Becker’s.
The spokesperson said the health system recognizes the impact of the decision and will work closely with the 13 affected facilities to ensure alternative patient care plans are in place before any final steps are taken. Six of the 13 facilities are members of Dartmouth Health’s own health system, and the spokesperson said the decision presents an opportunity to review and better understand how the health system can continue to integrate clinically across those areas.
The two services are part of Dartmouth Health’s Connected Care program, established in 2012, which provides about 20 types of telehealth services to more than 50 organizations in regional and national settings, designed to deliver accessible, efficient and effective care that complements and enhances services in local communities. The spokesperson said Dartmouth Health remains unwavering in its dedication to serving communities through its telehealth platforms and the Connected Care program, describing it as a remarkable suite of healthcare professionals and services extending support to the most remote and underserved areas.
The spokesperson said external funding for telehealth programs serving rural critical access hospitals is often critically scarce, even though it is vital to maintaining services that rarely reach the scale needed to cover the 24/7 staffing they require.
Dartmouth Health was recently awarded a $4 million, one-year Rural Health Transformation Program grant, which the spokesperson said will allow the health system to build a telehealth platform providing badly needed specialty services, including rheumatology, nephrology, endocrinology, pulmonary and infectious disease care, to rural patients in underserved communities across Vermont.
The grant will also fund the technology and staffing needed to support the platform and the care it provides. The spokesperson said Dartmouth Health is submitting additional RHT grant proposals to support similar telehealth initiatives across Vermont and New Hampshire.
Dartmouth Health describes itself as the nation’s most rural academic medical center and health system, and the spokesperson said sustaining its telehealth model amid challenging financial times will require changes and new approaches to the care model.
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
