TDC Group and Candello Join Forces on a Patient Safety Video Series: "What NOT to Do: Telehealth Lessons Learned"

NAPA, Calif. and BOSTON, Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing the rising adoption of telehealth and the myriad challenges presented to patients, providers, and healthcare systems, TDC Group and Candello (CRICO's national data collaborative and a division of the organization) have collaborated on an educational video series entitled "What NOT to Do: Telehealth Lessons Learned."

TDC Group is a longtime member of the Candello community. Uniting to explore the telehealth area of care delivery, patient safety leaders consulted with risk management experts from TDC Group and the CRICO community to provide guidance and practice management tips, captured on video and made available to the public to help improve virtual care for all through shared learning.

The five-part video series, based on those primary challenges facing clinicians during virtual visits, is available to all medical professionals via TDC Group and CRICO Video.

Accessing crucial healthcare services through videoconferencing, electronic consults, and remote monitoring has become increasingly necessary for patients since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a statement shared by the American Hospital Association, in 2019, 76 percent of U.S. hospitals were already connecting with patients and practitioners through video and other digital technology. Since then, healthcare systems across the country have focused significant effort on creating training programs and guides to help clinicians understand policies and protocols for delivering care through virtual platforms, but less attention has been focused on what not to do when things go wrong.

The video series also leverages information previously published in CRICO's Patient Safety Guidance for the Virtual Visit and Interoperable Telehealth: Patient Safety Considerations, published by The Doctors Company (part of TDC Group). 

"Telehealth has emerged as a valuable tool for hospital systems and providers, but it isn't without risks; our risk management team is dedicated to providing top guidance and strategies to increase patients' safety," said David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer for TDC Group. "This unique series covers what not to do but also offers clear guidance for a safe and productive telehealth visit."

Modules address considerations for clinical, equity, legal, and technical matters, plus managing the unexpected. The modules are introduced by dramatized vignettes with examples of what not to do. Patients join a telehealth visit in a grocery store, attempt to show a leg rash via faulty camera, encounter language barriers, and experience various technology challenges known to occur during virtual visits.

"Telehealth continues to transform healthcare, as it offers providers another weapon in the arsenal to make sure we get the job done; sometimes a phone call is not good enough to go through a tricky test result, but a full office visit isn't required," said Lee Schwamm, MD, Director, MGH Center for TeleHealth, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Vice President, Digital Patient Experience and Virtual Care, Mass General Brigham. "Telehealth shouldn't be the only way to interact with patients; it should be complementary to in-person care, and we should always use the vehicle most suited to address medical problems in the most convenient, patient-centric way."

TDC Group (theTDCgroup.com) is the nation's largest physician-owned provider of insurance, risk management, and healthcare practice improvement solutions. Serving the full continuum of care, from individual physicians to academic medical systems, we help healthcare professionals overcome the complexities of today's practice environment. TDC Group delivers proven solutions constantly refined through tireless innovation. We are defined by our depth of experience, commitment to service, unparalleled product offering, and broad distribution capabilities. With annual revenue of $1 billion, over $6.5 billion in assets, and offices nationwide, TDC Group serves over 100,000 healthcare professionals and organizations throughout the United States.

Candello is a division of CRICO (www.rmf.harvard.edu), which insures all of the Harvard medical institutions and their affiliates. Through national partnerships, Candello pools malpractice data and expertise from captive and commercial professional liability insurers across the country to provide clinical risk intelligence products and solutions. The data represent one-third of U.S. MPL cases and include open and closed cases as well as cases with and without indemnity payments. An active online community facilitates peer discussion and fosters shared learning, while web-based tools employ Candello's clinical coding taxonomy to connect the dots from medical error to patient safety interventions. Learn more at www.candello.com.

SOURCE TDC Group