Affiliated with the Virginia Commonwealth University, Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency is a rural-oriented program operating out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The program is certified by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Three members of the Virginia-based teaching faculty have previously received the Virginia Family Medicine Teacher of the Year award -- Dr. Andrew White, Dr. Frank Dennehy, and Dr. Thomas Ball. An area of particular interest to Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency is telehealth.
Policy changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic have altered the face of health delivery, and have promoted the use of telehealth by reducing barriers to access. Also known as telemedicine, telehealth employs digital communication technologies such as mobile devices to access and manage health care services remotely. Through telehealth the doctor provides healthcare without the patient having to make a clinic visit. Today, telehealth is used to deliver primary, specialty, chronic, and acute care. Many health professionals endorse telehealth services and are guiding its wider use in this fast-evolving landscape. Early in the pandemic, telehealth surged as providers and consumers sought ways to deliver and access healthcare safely. For example, according to a McKinsey & Company report, overall telehealth utilization in April 2020 for outpatient care and office visits was 78 times higher than recorded just two months earlier in February 2020. Telehealth has great potential not only to increase access to healthcare but improve uptake of services. However, any expansion in the use of telehealth should only be implemented with the clear objective of reducing health disparities and addressing health equity as challenges remain for many communities. Telehealth should have sustainable, supportive policies that facilitate access to end-user devices and broadband if more underserved people are to be reached. It must not be left to lag once the world overcomes the COVID-19 pandemic.
1 Comment
4/3/2023 08:28:54 pm
I appreciate you noting that telehealth has a huge potential to both boost service adoption and expand access to healthcare. My friend is sick with the flu. I'll advise her to seek out family healthcare so she may receive treatment.
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AuthorOverseen by Dr. Frank Dennehy, Shenandoah Valley Family Practice Residency Program offers opportunities for students who are interested in family medicine. Archives
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