New Issue Focuses on

Better Access Through Virtual Visits

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) announces the November 6 issue of the Health Care Innovations Exchange (http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov).

• The featured Innovations describe three programs that used virtual visits to increase patient access to health care. The programs include one in which a solo practitioner provided year-round, 24-hour-a-day access to care for her patients through liberal use of “virtual” or e-mail visits and telephone calls; another that used an online clinic to diagnose and treat minor health problems with a protocol-based treatment plan; and one that allowed patients with skin conditions to submit their medical history and photographs through secure, Web-based applications for review by a dermatologist.
• The featured QualityTools include a Web site that offers resources on using technology to assist care coordination and improve the independence of older adults, a guide for developing a remote diabetic retinopathy screening program, and a toolkit for developing telehealth activities.
• To access more innovation profiles and tools related to virtual visits and telehealth, go to http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/innovations_qualitytools.aspx?categoryID=54553&taxonomyID=54617.

• New Back Story
  Online Visit Catches Melanoma at Early Stage
  By eliminating a delay in treatment, an online visit led to a potentially better outcome.
  http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=3987

• December TweetChat
  Join us Tuesday, December 3, at 3:00 pm ET for our next TweetChat, Chats on Change: Creating a Successful Health Information Exchange, with Randy Farmer, Chief Operating Officer for the Delaware Health Information Network.
  http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/webevents/index.aspx?id=58

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New issues of the Innovations Exchange are published biweekly on Wednesdays. Please contact us at info@innovations.ahrq.gov with any questions or comments.

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