Participants report on ‘next chapter in virtual care’ at the ATA conference
The American Telemedicine Association held its 28th annual conference, ATA Nexus 2024, in Phoenix last week. The goal was to gather innovators, changemakers and healthcare providers to lead efforts to improve access to quality care with telehealth and remote monitoring.
The theme was “The Next Chapter in Virtual Care,” exploring new realities, highlighting lessons learned, and sharing actionable insights and use cases while convening thought leaders, frontline providers, and patient advocates who are defining the new standard for technology-based care and prospects for the future.
Four telemedicine experts who attended the ATA conference reported Healthcare IT news with their views on the event.
Amanda Bury, chief commercial officer at Infermedica, a digital healthcare company specializing in AI-powered symptom analysis and patient triage systems, noted that experts at ATA “highlighted the critical role of technology in shaping the future of healthcare, while recognizing that This is just part of the future of healthcare.” solution. Collaboration emerged as a key theme, highlighting how Integrating AI can improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare.
“Just as critical is the thoughtful delivery of telemedicine, treating it with the same attention as in-person appointments,” Bury added. “We must offer patients a variety of care modalities, meet them where they are, and empower them to choose their preferred methods. To achieve this transformative impact on personalized and convenient care, the technology itself must provide a seamless, patient-centric experience.”
And dr. Lyle Berkowitz, CEO of KeyCare, an Epic-based virtual care company, said one of his takeaways from the conference was the “emphasis on a hybrid model that really brings together healthcare systems and virtual care options.”
There have been some notable declines in share prices even the closure of high-profile telehealth companies recently, and Berkowitz said he thinks it’s “clear that the era of the siled telehealth provider is over, and that the best chance for success is tight integration where virtual providers can collaborate with healthcare systems, rather than from competing with them.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Stephanie Lahr, president of Artisight, developer of a smart hospital platform that uses AI to deliver virtual care, that telehealth itself “is alive and well, as evidenced by the energy, creativity and results shared at ATA this week. heard about improved access to care and staff and patient satisfaction when innovative models are successfully deployed.
“But we were also reminded of the concerns surrounding the uncertain regulatory landscape and the dangers of insufficient clinical engagement,” Lahr added. “There was a call to action to engage physicians, and especially nurses, in transforming care models to improve patient outcomes and bring the joy back to medicine.”
For her part, Lisbeth Votruba, RN, Chief Clinical Officer at AvaSure, maker of an intelligent virtual care platform, said it was “encouraging to see organizations like ATA the value of nursing, and virtual nursing in particular.
Following the success of ATA’s virtual nursing summit last November, she explained, the organization continued that focus with a well-attended two-day workshop at ATA Nexus 2024.
“ATA members recognize that healthcare delivery needs transformation, not just change,” Votruba said. “We cannot design new systems that cost more than what we are doing now, or worse, that take away nurses’ time, talent and energy. We need to surround nurses with the resources they need to work at their best. This includes systems, staffing models and virtual care technology.”
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