Business Case for Adoption of Telehealth at Bristol Hospice-Miami Dade LLC
Bristol Hospice is a health entity with several branches in the USA. It offers care services for patients suffering from terminal illnesses. Currently, the facility’s services, precisely the one in Miami, have ratings exceeding the national average ratings. The ratings touch on the seven Hospice Item Set measures. Considering the current Covid-19 pandemic, it is essential to highlight that telehealth is being used by various health care facilities to enhance care and make it more accessible to patients. Furthermore, more patient populations are accepting telehealth because of its convenience. These patient populations include senior citizens who prefer to receive fast and convenient services. The proposal to adopt telehealth at the facility is based on these and more factors. This discussion will provide an economic perspective regarding the proposal. Do you need help with your assignment ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com.
Opportunities
The economic aspects that are associated with telehealth confirm the demand for such health services. As already established, the growth and stabilization rate of telehealth-based services has grown by thirty-eight times more than it did prior to the pandemic. Senior citizens have exhibited acceptance and willingness of telehealth-based services. This new demand for such services is driven by the need for convenience and saving time. Since senior citizens attach significant value to telehealth-based services, it provides a significant motivation for its adoption. The American population is composed of larger percentages of aging individuals (Rogers, 2018). As such, there is a necessity to increase the number of home care facilities in the country. However, Bristol Hospice, which is already established, can increase its efficiency and cater to a broader part of the population. This population characteristic confirms that the adoption of telehealth will benefit a larger part of the American clients, who form the main clientele for Bristol Hospice.
Furthermore, the demand for telehealth-based services will also benefit the patients’ families. Taking care of terminally ill patients is emotionally, physically, and financially draining for them and their caregivers, who are mostly family members. Therefore, adopting telehealth services will reduce the number of financial resources that are committed to traveling to the health facilities to receive care from Bristol Hospice’s staff members. Furthermore, the knowledge that their loved ones are only a phone call away from the professionals is mentally reassuring. For instance, the management of chronic pain and wounds requires that the healthcare providers at the hospice be easily reachable. To increase their accessibility, telehealth is ideal because it enables patients and their caregivers within the home setting to reach out whenever the need arises.
Bristol Hospice currently caters to 83 percent of terminally ill patients in the home setting, while 15 percent are found in assisted living facilities (Medicare.gov, 2021). This implies that the staff members must travel over a large area to care for these patients. This movement consumes financial resources and time. It also demands sufficient human resources. Adopting telehealth technology provides a reliable avenue to reduce these resources significantly. The convenience is not only provided to patients and their family members but also to the facility. The cost-saving proposal not only enables the facility to maximize its resources but also increases efficiency.
Risks and Solutions
Adoption of telehealth is not without risks. Patient privacy is one of the most significant risks that is associated with telehealth. Unlike physical encounters, telehealth is more vulnerable to a lack of privacy and other security risks. The Bristol Hospice is expected to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) while offering care. However, the different platforms that support telehealth are not 100 percent foolproof. The presence of hackers who maliciously access these platforms and siphon client data exacerbates this risk (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). To address this issue, the facility should ensure that the chosen platforms are well-secured using the available security features in the market. These include passwords, encryptions, and detailed information on the administrator’s activities.
The risk of insecurity introduces an issue of fraud. The growth of telehealth and its increased acceptance may attract illegal activities such as kickbacks and access to patient information. When such issues occur, the facility can be fined or sanctioned by government programs (Gajarawala & Pelkowski, 2021). Besides ensuring that the security of the platforms is stringent and closely monitored, it is also essential to train staff members on the various regulations that apply to different states.
The third significant risk is the likelihood of litigations. Litigation may occur if fraud or abuse is detected or privacy is breached. Such issues are only a few of the things that could go wrong in telemedicine. As the practice continues to grow, the issues are expected to increase (Klein, 2019). To avert such litigations, it is crucial to ensure that all respective regulations are observed, the security of platforms is boosted, and the patients are met physically on separate occasions to clear up any issues that are related to informed consent or miscommunication.
Cost-benefit Analysis
The adoption of telehealth presents significant costs and benefits. The costs include a significant amount of financial investment. The facility may be required to spend at least $370,000 for the software. The purchase of hardware will also consume more resources. Secondly, the staff will require training in operations as well as legal aspects. The other costs that may come up later include litigations, fraud, insecurity, among others. The benefits of telehealth include saving costs for both parties, increasing efficiency and convenience, saving time, reassuring family members and patients, and reaching a broader population, which increases revenue for the facility.
Maximization of Benefits
To ensure that the facility can maximize the benefits of the proposed investment, costs need to be minimized. One strategy is to ensure that all staff members are well-trained prior to using telehealth with patients. This step will ensure that the facility is able to avert litigation issues that could arise due to the lack of knowledge. In addition, the facility can secure credit for the purpose of implementation, which allows it to avoid committing its financial resources to the project. This also increases accountability regarding the project’s performance. Most importantly, the facility should hire a project manager to oversee the entire process for maximum efficiency and clear goals/objectives.
Conclusion
The proposal to adopt telehealth at Bristol Hospice is viable despite the various risks and costs. This adoption will increase the facility’s ability to cater to a broader populace, increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the reassurance that patients have. The patients are likely to reap the same kind of benefits in addition to convenience and fast services. However, the possibility of litigation due to security breaches and fraud cases may hamper the process of service delivery. The required financial costs also set a significant challenge to the facility. Nevertheless, these challenges can be minimized using access to credit, training employees, and setting up stringent security measures. This investment’s worth matches the growing demand and acceptance among senior citizens.
References
Gajarawala, S. N., & Pelkowski, J. N. (2021). Telehealth Benefits and Barriers. J Nurse Pract., 17(2), 218-221. doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.09.013
Klein, J. L. (2019). Managing the risks of telemedicine.
Medicare.gov. (2021). Medicare.gov. Retrieved from https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/compare?providerType=Hospice&providerIds=101558,101530&city=Florida%20City&state=FL&zipcode=
Rogers, K. (2018). As the US population ages, the need for home healthcare workers skyrockets. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/31/as-the-us-population-ages-the-need-for-home-health-care-workers-skyrockets.html
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Question 
Note: Each assessment in this course builds upon the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in the order they are presented.
As a master’s-level health care practitioner, you are expected to consider several factors when analyzing the feasibility of a new initiative. For example, you must consider the various types of risk (such as patient safety, physical plant, financial, or reputation) and the present and future value of the service line or economic opportunity in which you are investing. You must also balance your ethical and moral responsibility to provide quality care to patients and populations with your responsibility to protect your organization’s assets and economic viability in the near and long term.
Business Case for Adoption of telehealth at Bristol Hospice-Miami Dade LLC
Instructions
Develop a business case for the economic initiative you proposed in Assessment 1. Examine the feasibility and cost-benefit considerations of implementing your proposed initiative over the next five years. Analyze ways to mitigate risks and complete a cost-benefit analysis.
Note: Remember that you can submit all or a portion of your draft business case to Smarthinking for feedback before you submit the final version for this assessment. If you plan on using this free service, be mindful of the turnaround time of 24–48 hours for receiving feedback.
The requirements for your business case, outlined below, correspond to the scoring guide criteria, so be sure to address each main point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed. In addition, be sure to note the requirements for document format and length and for supporting evidence.
Analyze the potential economic opportunities and risks associated with your proposed initiative.
How do the potential opportunities benefit your organization or care setting?
How could potential risks pose a threat to the financial security of your organization or care setting?
How do the potential economic opportunities compare to the potential economic risks?
Propose ethical and culturally sensitive solutions that address the risks associated with your initiative to the future economic security of your organization or care setting.