The American Medical Association (AMA) has created a new resource that aims to help physicians extend care beyond the exam room with technologies that are changing the way patients interact with healthcare.
The resource, called the Digital Health Implementation Playbook, offers a guide for providers on the path to applying digital health solutions, including key steps, best practices, and resources to accelerate and achieve digital health adoption. The AMA made this announcement in conjunction with the Digital Health Collaborative and Connected Health Conference taking place in Boston this week.
According to AMA officials, physicians are optimistic about the potential of digital health innovation to benefit medicine and expect to use more digital health tools in the near future. However, complex factors inhibit adoption.
The Playbook is designed for care teams and administrators in medical practices of all sizes and areas of specialty. Officials note that it’s a living document that will be updated to include new content over time. As the Playbook evolves, it will provide a 12-steps process to guide the implementation of a variety of digital health solutions. The first six steps are core to the implementation of any digital health solution, while the subsequent six steps focus on specific digital health solutions and the unique considerations relevant to that specific technology.
As it stands now, the Playbook provides resources for the implementation of remote patient monitoring (RPM) using devices, trackers and sensors to capture and record patient generated health data outside of the traditional clinical environment.
And as more connected devices and wearables are validated as accurate and reliable healthcare tools, the medical community will increasingly look to integrate digital health and mobile health technology into medical practices to better understand and manage chronic diseases outside of the practice environment as healthcare shifts toward value-based reimbursements, note AMA officials.
"Implementing digital health technology has been a challenge for those without a clear course to success," said AMA Chair-elect Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, M.D. "The AMA is committed to making technology an asset, not a burden, and the Playbook provides the medical community with widespread access to a proven path for implementing digitally enabled health and care.
More than 80 physicians, care team members, healthcare administrators, patients and digital health thought leaders contributed their expertise and input to the Playbook, according to the AMA.