Last Updated | November 30, 2022
Executive Summary – Stakeholders in Telehealth Implementation
It is essential to consider the key stakeholders in telemedicine projects since seamless integration of all functions of an organization is necessary to ensure the correct implementation of the telehealth app. Here’re some essential aspects of telehealth implementation for stakeholders.
Introduction – Stakeholders in Telehealth Implementation
Are you in search of stakeholders in telehealth implementation? You are at the right place to be. In the past few years, the discussions about reforming the healthcare system have shifted away from websites to achieve cost-effectiveness, efficient healthcare service delivery, and better quality of care. For this purpose, telehealth has become a prevalent area to expand. Telehealth applications became more popular after COVID-19 because, at the end of 2019, only 10% of patients used telehealth services, but the percentage skyrocketed to over 50% after the pandemic.
According to research, 75% of patients are satisfied with virtual healthcare, but the future success of telehealth doesn’t rely on patient satisfaction only. To ensure the viability of medical diagnostic software or telehealth and IoT healthcare solutions, you have to ensure that all stakeholders in telehealth implementation are aligned toward one goal. So, with this article, we are sharing who are the stakeholders in telemedicine and why they are important for the success of developing a medical app and implementing it.
Related: How to Develop a Telemedicine App?
Stakeholders Involved In Successful Telehealth Implementation
The telehealth implementation process includes working with various stakeholders, and it’s essential to identify who will be a part of the stakeholders and develop a proper strategy on how to act towards these goals. This is because it’s important to create a network of different parties who will be interested in the vision and creation process.
Identifying the stakeholders in telehealth implementation will help create a guiding team to determine how different participants will participate in the telehealth implementation. The stakeholders include non-health as well as health parties – they can be categorized into larger groups, such as influential people who can advise the decision-makers.
In addition, it includes the general public and decision-makers who are responsible for creating the strategic direction. Moreover, senior healthcare providers, academics, and funding executives can be a part of the stakeholder group. Lastly, there are some stakeholders who will be impacted by telehealth implementation, such as managers, administrators, healthcare professionals, and associations.
Explore More: How to Build a Telemedicine Platform?
The Roles and Responsibilities of Each Stakeholder Group
The engagement of stakeholders in telehealth implementation is essential to streamline the healthcare app development process. However, all of them play a different role, such as;
- Patient associations – the technical and patient associations have to set the guidelines and standards
- Influential payers group – these people must be engaged in coordinating the flexibilities and incentives in the telehealth’s regulatory framework
- Decision-makers – the people responsible for devising the strategic direction
Understanding these roles and responsibilities of every stakeholder group will bring more resources and confidence into planning, designing, and implementing the telemedicine app.
Tips for Effective Communication and Collaboration Among Stakeholders
There are internal and external stakeholders in telehealth implementation, but all of them play an essential role in the growth trajectory. This is because the stakeholders in telehealth provide meaningful insights and resources to help you overcome the obstacles and keep scaling. For this purpose, they have to be kept in the loop, and we are sharing some tips for effective communication.
- Create the Communication Plan
It’s important to create and use the communications plan as it helps identify their role in the development process, so you can share the information accordingly.
- Use Emails
Email is one of the most convenient tools for communication as it promises immediate information delivery and has higher open rates. For this reason, it’s an effective tool for managing stakeholders’ communication. The email should include the budget updates, news of the week, the updated pictures, the next steps, and the remaining project plan.
- Communication Automation
It is recommended that you automate the information delivery process as it minimizes the administrative load and improves consistency. In addition, email automation ensures that stakeholders receive information that’s specific to their needs.
- Screen-to-Screen Meetings
The screen-to-screen or group video calls are another way of giving the project summary. It helps communicate in real time, which also promises quicker responses. However, you can also send small video updates (the videos can be one to two minutes long) but make sure they are personalized and provide value.
Creating a Communication Plan to Engage All Stakeholders
A stakeholder communication plan is a well-designed strategy that’s developed by the team to connect with their stakeholders and assess their feedback on the project. It also identifies the people that the company has to work with and is a great way of improving and maintaining stakeholder relationships. So, to create a communication plan for stakeholders in telehealth implementation, we are sharing some tips;
- First of all, you have to identify the key stakeholders in the telehealth implementation projects, including internal and external stakeholders
- Set the communication objectives that will help you meet the goals. It is important to be precise in objectives and define what the organization has to achieve as well as the timeline
- The next step is to establish the communication methods (email is the most recommended option)
- Make sure the communication plan includes the communication frequency, and the plan must have annual, quarterly, weekly, and monthly communications
- Lastly, assign an owner to the communication plan to make sure he can update the plan according to the project’s progress and modify it
Investigate More: Telemedicine Examples for Patients and Healthcare Practitioners
Implementing the Telehealth Project and Monitoring Results
When you implement the telehealth program, make sure all the tasks are fully implemented. It’s important that you complete the deliverables, such as agreement policies, contracts, procedures, and protocols. The protocols and procedures must be consistent across the telehealth project to ensure coordination.
Once the telehealth project has been implemented, you must keep collecting the data and deploy the quality improvements. In addition, you must report the progress properly and keep all the stakeholders in the loop by keeping them apprised of project success, progress, and feedback solicitation.
The Bottom Line
The involvement of stakeholders in telehealth implementation initiatives can have a positive impact on the project. This is because the stakeholders can provide monetary resources as well as service-based feedback to improve the quality of healthcare services.
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FAQs:
Who are the stakeholders in a successful telehealth implementation project?
The common stakeholders in the successful implementation of telehealth include the patients, hospital staff, donors, and government authorities.
Why is it important to engage stakeholders in the process early on?
Engaging the stakeholders in earlier stages of telehealth implementation ensures that you have sufficient time to adjust the practices and review every step to make sure the project is according to the initial objectives. In simpler words, it complements the evaluation process.
Go through the guide on telehealth implementation!
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