ABT Offers Teleprimary Care Certification

The online, self-paced program examines innovative telehealth models and best practices and provides strategies to help providers overcome nagging hurdles.

The American Board of Telehealth has launched a Teleprimary Care Certificate program to help primary care providers develop telehealth post-pandemic.

The online, self-paced program examines innovative telehealth models and best practices and provides strategies to help providers overcome nagging hurdles such as reimbursement parity, set-up costs, regulatory red tape, and competition from retail clinics and urgent care centers.

"As a physician at one of Pennsylvania's first 100% virtual primary care practices, I can testify to the importance of education in telehealth – and teleprimary care in particular," said Salim Saiyed, MD, CMIO at UPMC in Central Pennsylvania and course director for ABT's teleprimary care program.

"Doctors and care teams need to understand how they can deliver teleprimary care more efficiently and effectively – from the start of the encounter to check out and arranging any follow-up care needed so that patients can access the right specialists, for the right test, or the right procedure," Saiyed said.

The Teleprimary Care Certificate program covers:  

• Barriers and opportunities of teleprimary care, along with the evolution of telehealth in the primary care setting, and progressive models now in the market;
   
• Operations, workflow and productivity in the ambulatory setting, and how technology can optimize resources and maximize productivity while maintaining care standards;
   
• Legal, regulatory and ethical considerations, with an emphasis on regulatory compliance challenges at the federal and state levels and mitigate risk guidance;
   
• Providing care via a remote medium, examining best practices for hybrid care models, including tips for virtual patient encounters and strategies to promote quality and foster patient trust;
   
• Health equity and social determinants of health, and how to enhance access for underserved populations. 

"Teleprimary care is at the forefront of the telemedicine space, but it continues to evolve and expand with the development of new technologies, innovative care models and evolving reimbursement policies," said Whitney Flanagan, RN, director of education for the ABT. "Telehealth training – whether it's on the platform, regulations or webside manners – will be critical to long term success. Primary care teams need specialized skills to meet the growing demand for telemedicine services and ensure the highest quality care possible for patients."