The Evolving Telehealth Workforce
Telehealth Coordinator Courses
• Grant funded in 2010• 3 continuing education courses• Online course delivery through the UA system
Course One• General overview of telemedicine concepts• Foundation for subsequent courses
Topics Covered:• Overview of Telehealth & Telemedicine• Role of the Telehealth Coordinator• Telehealth Delivery Modes & Methods• Business Aspects of Telehealth• Future of Telehealth
Course Two• Certification as Telehealth Coordinator (THC)• Pre-requisite for Course 3
Topics Covered:• The Role of the Telehealth Coordinator• Workflow Development• Developing policy and procedures• Privacy & Confidentiality practices • Billing and Reimbursement
Course Three• Telehealth Program Creation and Development• Certification as a Telehealth Program Manager
Topics Covered:• Needs Assessment• Program Development• Change Management• Designing Sustainable Programs
A Brief History of Telehealth Training
1998 2006200420022000
2008
2013
Telehealth Trainers Train the TrainerTelehealth Coordinators
& Program Development
Early Days
1998 20022000
Telehealth Trainers
2004
Teach to Function
1999 20012003
Training Trainers
2005
2004
Train the Trainer
2006
2007
Teach to Function
Teach to Train
Program Development
2008
Telehealth Coordinators & Program Development
2009
Teach to Function
Teach to Train
Teach to Develop
Evolutions in Technology and Workforce
Teach to Function
Teach to Train
Teach to Develop
Standardization/Proliferation of Technology
Technological Literacy of Users
THC Courses
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013BTOP
Funding
Accreditation
Course 1
Course 2
Course 3
Curriculum Development
Content:• Literature searches• Program assessments- examples of successful programs• Historical data- Development of Telehealth• Legal and regulatory research
Format:• Used other CE courses as reference• Networking with telemedicine educators and resource centers
CE vs. Credit
Continuing Education offered advantages in:• Cost• Development• Student
• Accessibility• Accessible to wider audience• Freedom to format/change format at will
Certification• Successful completion of THC courses• Demonstrated understanding and comprehension• Telehealth Coordinator• Telehealth Program Manager
General Course Characteristics• Substantive• 3 Courses
• 10 weeks (Course 1 and 2)• 24 weeks (Course 3)
• 30 hours of coursework (Course 1 and 2)• 60+ hours of coursework (Course 3)
General Course Characteristics
+Instructor Moderated
Discussion Forums
Live Sessions
General Course Characteristics
Experienced instructors:
• Jay Brudzinski• Cindy Roleff
Data
Course 1 69Course 2 35
Course 3 10
Students Enrolled
Total: 114
Completion Rate: 80%
Students
Student Feedback
"This was an excellent course and I will recommend people take it even if they aren't
involved in telehealth, if only to learn about how this technology is being used around the world."
"Keep up the great course activities"
"This was an excellent course and challenging, it forced me to think outside the box and come up with solutions to what can be a difficult internal process in facilities."
"This class is really helping me to understand the big picture."
Lessons Learned• Course flexibility• Course format• Course pacing
• Growing the courses• Benefits and challenges of national participants• Time zones
• 5pm-630pm AK time (9-1030 ET)
Future Development• For credit course- UAA• More students!• More flexible formatting for
different student types• Partnerships
Interested?/Shameless Plug• Upcoming classes:• Course 1: June 4• Course 2: June 12• Course 3: June 13
• Signing up for class:• Register online: https://aceweb.uas.alaska.edu• Email Jay Brudzinski