INVITED SPEAKER

Changing the Location of Care Understanding the Implications, Deriving the Benefits

Dr. Adam Darkins
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC, USA

Abstract

New imaging, monitoring and videoconferencing technologies enable us to change the location of health care services. As a result there are unprecedented opportunities for re-engineering the delivery of health care systems making them more patient focused, convenient, timely, effective and realize cost savings. Obtaining these benefits involves introducing/adapting clinical, technology and management processes. This presentation focuses on the life cycle from theoretical construct through to the practical implementation of large telehealth networks and provides the associated strategic planning and change management framework for bringing about transformative change.

Biography of the Invited Speaker

Adam Darkins leads the National Telehealth Programs for US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Successful implementation of Telehealth within VA involves the use of health Informatics, telehealth and disease management technologies to enhance and extend care and case management. Under his leadership VA has developed the clinical, technology and business underpinnings to successfully implement and sustain enterprise-wide telehealth-based services that have demonstrably improved access to care for patients, reduced utilization of health care resources and are associated with very high levels of patient satisfaction.
VA’s is seen as a national/international leader in telehealth with over 300,000 patients receiving care annually at more than 600 sites of care. At any given time 48,000 of these patients use home telehealth technologies that enable them to live independently at home. The mission of these programs is to provide the right care, in the right place, at the right time to the appropriate patient. The associated aim is that of providing care for patients in the most convenient setting whenever safe, appropriate, effective and cost-effective. The VA experience shows telehealth can bring about transformative change in the management of high incidence chronic diseases in the population, ones that pose an ever-increasing challenge for all health care systems.
Adam Darkins has worked in health services development and has implemented enterprise information technology systems in the US and UK since 1991. He has a previous clinical background in neurosurgery.