Strategic Implementation of Telehealth in Complex Health Systems

This report examines the implementation of telehealth tools, specifically custom-configured hardware, within complex health systems. It highlights the rationale for choosing telehealth as an innovation, emphasizing its potential to improve patient care and reduce costs. The report analyzes the impact of telehealth on healthcare delivery, addressing issues such as accessibility, cost-effectiveness, and the need for remote consultations. Furthermore, it delves into implementation strategies, incorporating change management models and leadership theories to guide the successful integration of telehealth. The report also explores methods for identifying and measuring the success of telehealth initiatives, ultimately providing a comprehensive overview of how to effectively manage and implement telehealth innovation within a health system to enhance patient outcomes and optimize resource utilization. Desklib provides a platform for students to access this document and similar solved assignments.

Running head: LEADING IN COMPLEX HEALTH SYSTEMS
Leading in Complex Health Systems
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1LEADING IN COMPLEX HEALTH SYSTEMS
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Choice of the innovation............................................................................................................3
Impact of Telehealth tools..........................................................................................................4
Implementation Strategies..........................................................................................................8
Identification of success for the innovation.............................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................11
References................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
The genre of health care services is a very wide as well as dynamic one and requires
continuous up-gradation for the purpose of not only providing better quality of treatment
facilities to the patients but at the same time to provide treatment facilities which are cost
effective at the same time (Wiederhold, Miller and Wiederhold 2018). Thus, it becomes
imperative for the health care organizations as well as the health care professionals who are
associated with these health care organizations to take the help of the concepts of creativity as
well as innovations for the purpose of providing better quality and also cost effective
treatment facilities to the patients from the diverse parts of the world. Furthermore, the ageing
population of the world, the unequal distribution of wealth in the society, the inability of the
patients to often come down to the medical clinics for the purpose of treatment and other
factors have also necessitated the use of the concepts of innovation as well as creativity for
the purpose of provide treatment to the patients (Bhatti et al. 2018). It was with this particular
objective that the “Health Services Research” was established in the 1950s (National
Research Council 2015). This particular program has come up with new innovative ideas in
the recent times which have not only reduced the cost of medical treatment incurred by the
patients but at the same time has also enhanced the quality of the health care facilities
provided by the various health care professionals as well as organizations (Shortridge et al.
2018). Thus, some of the major health and social care organizations of the world like
American Well, Philips Healthcare, MDLive, Care Innovations, Vidyo and others are actively
taking the help of the innovation of telehealth tools to provide high quality cost effective
treatment facilities to the patients (Shortridge et al. 2018). Some of the major innovations
which are being used currently by the various health care professionals as well as health care
professionals at the current moment for providing cost effective health care treatment to the

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patients are Telehealth tools, Hybrid operating rooms, Infection detecting technologies,
efficient EHR system and others (National Research Council 2015).
This report will discuss about the innovation of Telehealth tools and more particularly
the “Custom-Configured Hardware” which is used in the present times to provide treatment
facilities to the patients and the way this innovation has impacted the health care services of
the present times. In addition to this, the report will also discuss about the implementation
strategies which the health care organizations and professionals can utilize for the effective
implementation of this particular innovation through change management models, leadership
theories and others.
Choice of the innovation
The primary goal of the various health care organizations as well as the health care
professionals is to provide effective treatments to the patients ailing with various kinds of
diseases and thereby help them to lead a healthy life (Raskas et al. 2017). Furthermore, it is
generally seen that the majority of the world population at the current moment is ageing and
the number of diseases to which the people of the world are prone to in the present times have
increased in a significant (Kumar and Kumar 2015). Therefore, it would be apt to say that the
introduction of this particular innovation in a particular health care organization is likely to
help the concerned organization in a significant manner not only to provide quality treatments
to the patients but at the same time to provide cost effective treatment to the patients. In
addition to this, it is generally seen that many patients are unable to come to the health care
clinics on a regular on the score of various reasons like disability, terminal illnesses and
others (Paul, Ganguly and Ghosh 2014). Thus, the introduction of this particular innovation is
likely to help these patients in a significant manner.

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Custom-Configured Hardware includes the use of carts, computers, tablets, desktops,
peripherals and others for the process of providing treatments to the patients (National
Research Council 2015). The use of this particular tool within the domain of the health and
social care industry has gained prominence within the last decade and it is generally seen that
institutions like American Well, Philips Healthcare, MDLive, Care Innovations, Vidyo and
others are increasingly taking the help of these tools to provide effective treatment facilities
to the patients (Shortridge et al. 2018). The use of these tools have made the health and social
care treatment facilities provided by these organizations not only accessible but at the same
covers up the above mentioned problems by the patients in an effective manner.
The use of this particular provides the window not only to the patients but at the same
time to the health care professionals to interact with the other expert health care professionals
from the other parts of the world and provide effective treatments without incurring any
significant amount of cost (Paul, Ganguly and Ghosh 2014). In addition to these, it is
generally seen that during some complex as well as critical operations the health care
professionals can take the help of the guidance as well as the help of the other health care
professionals using the “Custom-Configured Hardware” (Kor et al. 2015). Therefore, it
would be apt to say that the benefits which the innovation of this particular telehealth tool
provides not only to the patients but at the same time to the health care professionals and also
the present health needs of the people justify the choice of this innovation as the most
appropriate one.
Impact of Telehealth tools
The introduction of this telehealth tool has revolutionized the health care industry in a
significant manner not only from the perspective of the quality of the treatment facilities
which are now available to the patients suffering from various kinds of diseases but at the

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same time from the cost perspective as well (Edoh 2018). According to a report published by
the World Health Organization (2018) on annual basis people from the various parts of the
world end up spending more than $18.28 trillion on just health care expenditures in order to
the taxes which they have to pay to obtain these facilities. A significant part of this particular
expenditure goes to the traveling allowances and also to seek the second opinion of the other
health care professionals apart from the ones whom they are already consulting. Thus, with
the use of this telehealth tool these expenses can be reduced in a significant manner. It is
significant to note that the problem of funding has been a major area of constraint for the
health care industry for a very long time with the majority of the health care industries
complaining that they are not getting adequate amount of funding (Silva, Russomano and
Novaes 2017).
Another significant factor which affects the health care industry is the inability of
many people to afford quality treatments since it is mostly seen that the treatment for the
majority of the terminal diseases like cancer, AIDS and others being very expensive which
many of the people are unable to afford (Laxman, Krishnan and Dhillon 2015). Furthermore,
it is generally seen that the people with disability and also the ones suffering from one form
or the other of terminal diseases are unable to go to the health care clinics on a regular basis
on the score of the delicate nature of their health. Moreover, it is generally seen that not only
the patients but also the health care professionals need to take the opinion as well as the
guidance of the other health care professionals and in the earlier times the patients and the
health care professionals had to reach out physically to these experts in order to take their
opinion and guidance and this use to take a lot of time (Yesenofski, Kromer and Hitchings
2015). In the earlier times, the seriousness of the health condition of the patients used to deter
the patients as well as the health care professionals from doing so (Yesenofski, Kromer and
Hitchings 2015). However, the introduction of the innovation of this telehealth tool has

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solved these problems or constrains in a significant manner. This telehealth tool has been
specifically beneficial for the patients having disability and also the ones suffering from
terminal diseases. In addition to these, the telehealth tool under discussion here has also
helped the health care professionals in a significant manner for the purpose of operations and
also surgeries.
The health care organizations of the nation of the United Kingdom as an estimate of
the year 2017 reported to have 90% of all the patients which they receive to be emergency
cases and of them almost 70% cases are the ones wherein the patient is suffering from one
form of chronic disease or the other (MDLIVE 2018). In addition to this, the health care
organizations also noticed that after 90 days of treatment these people suffering from chronic
illnesses were not able to come to the health care organization on a regular basis for the
purpose of treatment (MDLIVE 2018). Instead it was seen that the majority of these people
tool the help of the telehealth tools provided by the health care organization to carry on their
treatment. Most of the patients were of the opinion that this particular facility provided by the
institution helped them in a significant manner to attain the health care facilities and at the
same time also reduced the cost incurred by them for the process of treatment since they did
not have to waste extra amount of money on travelling allowances, the expenses to take
second opinion of the health care professionals and others (MDLIVE 2018). For example, the
counseling cost charged by MDLive, one of the leading healthcare organizations of the world
which takes the help of the telehealth tool under discussion here is only $99 which is way
lower than the standard amount charged by the other health care organizations or
professionals (MDLIVE 2018).
The use of this telehealth tool allows the terminally ill patients to consult the health
care professionals and also to take the help of the health care facilities provided from the
comfort of their own home without having to leave their home. In addition to this, it also

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allows the health care professionals as well as the patients to seek the assistance as well as the
guidance of the other health care professionals with the help of this innovation without the
wastage of much time or resources (Kubat 2015). Furthermore, in the earlier times it used to
happen to perform any elaborate or complex surgeries or operations the health care
organizations had to make prior appointments with the relevant health care professionals and
wait for them to come down to the concerned health care organization to perform the surgery
or operation. This used to take a lot of time as well as resources and often caused a serious
amount of danger to the concerned patients because of the enormous amount of time which it
used to consume. It is significant to note that time is a major constraint for the patients
suffering with terminal illnesses and with every single passing the illness becomes more
severe (Shortridge et al. 2018). Thus, this particular process used to pose a serious threat to
the lives of the patients.
The introduction of this telehealth tool has solved these problems in a significant
manner since the health care professionals are being able to operate on the patients as per the
severity level of their illness and they can always take the guidance as well as the help of the
other professionals through the use of these tools any time they want (Wiederhold, Miller and
Wiederhold 2018). Many experts are of the opinion that the best part about the use of this
innovation is the fact that it is really cost effective and the patients do not need to take care of
expensive medical charges like in the earlier times (Raskas et al. 2017). Therefore, it would
be appropriate to say that the innovation of telehealth has not only improved the quality of the
health care services which are now available to the people from the different parts of the
world but at the same time it has made the entire health care facilities much more cost
effective.

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Implementation Strategies
The major barrier which the implementation of this telehealth tool faces at the current
moment is the ineffective implementation strategies which are being used by the various
health care organizations for the process of the implementation of this particular innovation.
It is a reflection of this particular fact that inspite of being one of the best innovations of the
20st century the innovation has not being able to achieve a higher success rate which was
expected of it (Edoh 2018). Thus, it is generally seen that even in the 21st many of the health
care organizations as well as health care professionals and even the patients refuse to take the
help of this particular innovation for the process of treatment. Furthermore, the lack of
effective technological platform used by the various health care organizations and the
inability of the patients to handle these tools has also contributed in a significant manner
towards the lack of success of this particular innovation (Silva, Russomano and Novaes
2017). Thus, it becomes all the more important for the various health care organizations to
take the help of effective implementation strategies so that this telehealth tool can be
integrated within the framework of their health care organization in an effective manner.
The various health care organizations can take the help of the diverse change
management models for the effective implementation of the innovation under discussion
here. The various change management models which the health care organizations can take
the help of for the process of effective implementation of the innovation under discussion
here are ADKAR model, Lewin’s change management model, Kotter’s 8-step change model,
Kubler-Ross five-stage model – the Change Curve and others (Cameron and Green 2015).
The success or the failures of these change management models depend on the context or the
scenario or the purpose for which they are being used (Cameron and Green 2015). For
example, the ADKAR model of change management focuses on the final outcome or the goal
which the concerned organization is trying to achieve through the implementation of the

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proposed change (Hornstein 2015). Lewin’s change management model, on the other hand,
believes in the use of three processes, namely, unfreeze, change and freeze (Hornstein 2015).
The health care organizations can take the help of any of the above mentioned change
management models for the process of the implementation of the innovation under discussion
here. In addition to this, taking the help of situational as well as transformational style of
leadership is also likely to help the concerned health care organization in a significant
manner. It is significant to note that both of these leadership is likely to help the concerned
organization to deal with the unforeseen events which are likely to occur during and after the
implementation of the concerned tool.
The primary focus of the various health care organizations as well as the health care
professionals is on the concept of common good and thus they try to integrate this particular
concept within the framework of their organization as well as their culture (Doppelt 2017).
The health care organizations, therefore, needs to create a culture within the framework of
their organizations wherein not only the health care professionals but also the patients who
take the help of the health care facilities provided by them take the help of various kinds of
recent innovations (Doppelt 2017). Thus, the creation of a continuous learning as well as an
innovative culture within the framework of the concerned health care organization is likely to
help in a significant manner for the implementation of the concerned telehealth tool. This will
help the health care professionals to become more confident about the use of this particular
innovation for the purpose of providing treatment to the patients and this will also help them
to convince the patients at the same time to take the help of this innovation for the purpose of
getting effective treatment.
Some of the major factors which affect any organization including the ones belonging
to the health care industry are the kind of system and power division which that particular
organization is following for the process of management of its affairs (Goetsch and Davis

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2014). Therefore, it can be said that for the process of effective implementation of the
innovation under discussion here the various health care organizations also need to take into
consideration the concepts of system and power. Thus, it can be said that if the management
as well as the higher authorities of the organization themselves takes interest in this particular
innovation and makes it mandatory for the concerned health care organization and the health
care professionals associated with it to use this particular innovation then the implementation
process of the concerned innovation is likely to become not only much easier but at the same
time effective (Goetsch and Davis 2014).
Identification of success for the innovation
The major focus of the innovation under discussion here is to improve the quality of
the health care treatment provided by the health care organizations as well as professionals to
the patients suffering from various kinds of diseases while being cost effective (Laxman,
Krishnan and Dhillon 2015). Thus, the concerned health care organization which has taken
the help of this particular innovation can take the help of the system leadership to analyze the
extent of success attained by this implementation of this particular innovation. The primary
focus of the system leadership theory is not on isolated leaders of the organization but rather
on the creation of a suitable environment as well as set of condition wherein the process of
“progress toward social change” can be achieved (Boylan 2016). Thus, the health care
organizations can take the help of this particular concept for the effective utilization of the
innovation under discussion here. Furthermore, in order to assess the extent to which the
innovation under discussion here has been able to achieve success the concerned health care
organization can take the help of various kinds of surveys as well as interviews.

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Conclusion
The health care industry is concerned with providing the best quality of treatment
facilities to the people and thereby to help them to lead their lives in a much better manner.
Thus, the people normally expect that the health care facilities which will be provided to
them will not only be of the best quality but at the same time would be cost effective.
However, it is generally seen that the various health care organizations because of numerous
constraints are not being able to fulfill this expectation of the people. Thus, it becomes
important for the various health care organizations as well as the health care professionals
who are associated with them to take the help of the concepts of innovations as well as
creativity. In the recent times, the innovation of Telehealth tools has gained a considerable
amount of significance because of the numerous benefits which it provides not only to the
health care professionals but also the patients. In a way it can be said that this particular
innovation has significantly improved the quality of the health care facilities which are now
available to the patients while making the process of treatment really cost effective. However,
it is generally seen that the various health care organizations face numerous problems during
the time of the implementation of this particular innovation and thus they need to take the
help of adequate implementation strategies like change management, effective culture and
others.