The ACP this week published a policy paper that recommends new evidence-based recommendations for audio and video telehealth.
As telehealth use increases, the American College of Physicians is calling for an evaluation of performance metrics used in virtual care,
"Over the course of the COVID-19 public health emergency we have seen a marked increase in telemedicine visits with our patients," says ACP President Ryan D. Mire, MD, MACP.
"Telemedicine can be a significant benefit to patients, increasing access to care and allowing care to be provided more efficiently," he says. "However, as we begin to develop performance measures to evaluate how physicians are doing in performing those services we need to make sure the measures are appropriate."
Mire's comments come as the ACP this week publishes a policy paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine that details new evidence-based recommendations for audio and video telehealth visits in ambulatory venues.
Specifically, ACP wants performance metrics used to evaluate telemedicine visits to adhere to the same criteria as in-person visits. In addition, the physicians' college calls for existing in-person metrics to be reexamined to determine if they're appropriate for telemedicine visits.
The policy paper stresses that telemedicine visits be incorporated into electronic health records, so that those visits do not become standalone encounters of fragmented care.
Before any care metrics are adopted, ACP calls for rigorous testing to ensure that the new metrics are reliable and valid for telehealth, and can be delivered at the appropriate clinical venue, whether that's an individual physician, group practice, health system or health plan.
Lastly, ACP wants to develop metrics that evaluate the effect of telehealth on poorer communities that may lack digital access.
"The same principles that we apply to quality measurement for in-person care should also be applied to the development of measures for telemedicine," Mire says. "The goal in all of our patient interactions is to provide high-quality care. Telemedicine can be an important tool in doing so and we need to make sure that measures encourage that high-quality without unnecessary burden, particularly for under-resourced communities and patients."
“The same principles that we apply to quality measurement for in-person care should also be applied to the development of measures for telemedicine.”
ACP President Ryan D. Mire, MD, MACP.
John Commins is a content specialist and online news editor for HealthLeaders, a Simplify Compliance brand.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
ACP wants performance metrics used to evaluate telemedicine visits to adhere to the same criteria as in-person visits.
In addition, the physicians’ college calls for existing in-person metrics to be reexamined to determine if they’re appropriate for telemedicine visits.
The policy paper stresses that telemedicine visits be incorporated into electronic health records, so that those visits do not become standalone encounters of fragmented care.
ACP wants rigorous testing to ensure that the new metrics are reliable and valid for telehealth, and can be delivered at the appropriate clinical venue.