Telemedicine Opportunity or Distraction Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

III. What resources did Partners need to acquire, develop or modify in order to successfully offer the real-time Tele-Stroke consultation service? Specifically:

Telemedicine services according to research studies are safe and help in improvising patient outcomes. Telemedicine software, TeleStroke serves a clinical need in real time. However, to further capitalize on its resources partners need to have fast broadband services weighing for the costs associated to it. In addition to this, it needs to reimburse its personnel from nurses to super users to physicians and also must focus deeply on acquisition of more spokes hospitals (Conde, Jose G.; 2010). Maintaining and updating their software on a regular basis will help partners to achieve remarkable success. Medical technologies need continuous management, more precisely they need efficient management for which employees need extensive training on how to best utilize the equipment given in a particular situation. As the population is aging at a fast pace; therefore, it is also beneficial for the company to personalize services and have flexibility in payment modes. At Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, the data base by 2011 was not integrated, which then required modification so as to include decision support systems and other clinical reporting functions.

At present, the spoke hospitals aren’t fully integrated with the TeleStroke service of Partners; therefore, they need to get in their networking. Each of the spoke and the MVH and Brigham as hubs need to be centralized so that each can have full excess to the onsite information. As the technology is regulated, hence, it needs to be verified from an information technology professional. This will help them in enhanced access, quality, and efficiency and in delivering the service at relatively faster pace. In order to make the Telemedicine software to be cost effective, keeping in mind that Partners are self sustained financially, economic assessment for the value of the latest technology needs to be done (Conde, Jose G.; 2010). Depending on the number of calls generated for consultation, which is 1 by 5 as evident in the case, the pricing structure along with additional consultation discounts need to be offered. As the infrastructure for technology is weak in this company; therefore, the need to first develop the information infrastructure is needed to provide a ladder up to the Telemedicine software. In addition to this, they should make use of the mobile application technology that is hitting the road these days.

IV. Nurses at Falmouth Hospital have requested that Partners let them use the TeleStroke platform to participate in other forms of emergency telemedicine – starting, perhaps, with critical-care pediatrics. How should Shawn Farrell respond to this request?

Shawn Farrell should respond the nurses in a tactful manner. This means that as the ratio of the calls for the critical issue is comparatively to expand on a huge scale; hence, Farrell should refuse to grant help in this case. Nevertheless, the company needs to help patients, who are in a severe situation too (Carthy Z. 1995). For this they can train a segment of their employees to deal with this particular issue of critical care pediatrics. Nevertheless, they can’t be ignored to the fullest as they can have a negative impact on the patient’s mind set. Therefore, for the time being the focus should be primarily on serving the regular patient rather than critical ones, but it should not overlook an opportunity in this area. Later with the trend analysis, Partners can then focus on expansion so as to serve these underserved patients.

A. CONCLUSION

TeleStroke is not a good fit for the critical care pediatrics as this is a narrow market to be served and doesn’t offer many opportunities for expansion. As the telemedicine service is in its maturing phase, hence, it lacks reimbursements and insurance coverage for its services. Moreover, the industry is also facing difficulties due to complex medical licensure and credentialed. The weak information infrastructure has prevented partners in moving forward. In addition to all this, there was inefficient operations management that caused delays. In order to overcome all these tacky issues, Partners need to implement an upgraded version of the IT structure so as to support its expansion plans............................................

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