According to a 2016 report from the Association of American Medical Colleges, the United States could experience a shortage of 61,700–94,700 physicians by 2025. As the physician pool dwindles, and technology rapidly advances, more and more medical staffs will turn to telemedicine solutions to enhance their team. But disparate and evolving regulatory requirements, coupled with potentially numerous practitioner affiliations, can make evaluating telemedicine providers’ competence a compliance nightmare.

As COVID-19 spreads throughout the U.S., MSPs face unique challenges to support their practitioners and keep patients safe. In response, we’ve launched an Acute Care Coronavirus response page that provides resources and solutions for hospitals and health systems as they navigate COVID-19. You can also visit our forum dedicated to COVID-19 discussions to ask your questions and share best practices with your colleagues. Also, in an effort to fully understand the challenges your organization is currently facing as a result of COVID-19 and to ensure we’re delivering the right resources in the right format during this critical time, we ask that you complete this brief survey. Key survey findings will also be shared on our Acute Care Coronavirus Solutions Center.

Telemedicine is a rapidly expanding activity, and more hospitals are making use of telemedicine resources. The regulatory and accreditation standards for the privileging of telemedicine practitioners have been in flux over the past decade. Some of this flux has been caused by the changing position of CMS regarding telemedicine credentialing. As a result, The Joint Commission has updated its telemedicine standard frequently.

Over the past few decades, understanding of the importance of the emotional, physical, and overall wellness of provider has significantly increased. The impetus for this new focus on wellness is the realization that providers must first be able to care for themselves before they can care for their patients optimally. While facilities are actively seeking different options for promoting wellness, perhaps the most effective option is to implement a wellness program.