Fundamentals of Telehealth

What is telehealth, and what is its role in care delivery? This section introduces the breadth of telehealth beyond the traditional scheduled video visit.

What Is Telehealth?

This editorial introduces basic tenets of telehealth, including examples of frequently-used modalities.

Source: NEJM Catalyst (2018)

Telemedicine: Ensuring Safe, Equitable, Person-Centered Virtual Care

This Institute for Healthcare Improvement white paper introduces telehealth and six guiding tenets, including: access, privacy, diagnostic accuracy, communication, psychological and emotional safety, and human and system design. Includes recommendations for implementation and explores considerations for the future of telehealth. (Note: this paper is open access following email registration).

Source: Perry AF, Federico F, Huebner J (2021)

Return on Health: Moving Beyond Dollars and Cents in Realizing the Value of Virtual Care

This report frames the value argument for telehealth, including how telehealth supports value-based care, beyond fee-for-service reimbursement. Case studies highlight specific value categories (i.e. clinical outcomes, quality, and safety; access to care; patient experience; clinician experience; financial and operational impact).

Source: American Medical Association (AMA) (2021)

Telehealth Competencies Across the Learning Continuum

This report identifies a number of telehealth competencies for learners of varying levels. This SAEM Telehealth Compendium is guided by, and mapped to, the domains identified in this report.

Source: Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) (2021)

Center for Connected Health Policy

This website offers up-to-date resources and reports on telehealth policy and regulations. It is organized by federal/state and by payer.

Source: Public Health Institute (updated 2024)