HOW TO IMPLEMENT TELEMEDICINE IN A HEALTHCARE TRUST: THE "TEELEMEBII" STRATEGY

Abstract

Abstract In this abstract we describe the “TEELEMEBII" strategy adopted by Healthcare Trust Bergamo Est to allow Telemedicine‘s development and to encourage a new healthcare managment model (the results obtained in terms of telemedicine processes activated are riported in a dedicated abstract). The “TEELEMEBII" strategy is composed of 7 steps (Figure 1): T: Top–down The Strategic Management analyses the feasibility of the project. If successful, a Manager with technical skills in the field of telemedicine and managerial competencies is appointed. In some cases, it is possible to set up a small group of professionals. E: Experiences The Manager, or the working group, performs a mapping of existing telemedicine experiences in the company. E: Experts While analysing experiences, the Manager identifies the professionals who already have expertise in the telemedicine field. This phase aims to identify a multidisciplinary Team composed of physicians, nurses, clerks, IT–technicians, management engineer etc., that is proposed to the Strategic Management. LE: LEgitimacy The Strategic Management analyses the proposal and the Constitution of the Telemedicine Team is legitimized through a formal act with the appointment of a Coordinator, the members and the adoption of a regulation. The organizational model of the Team is of a matrix type (Figure 2). ME: MEthod Once established, the Team defines a working method, a common language and specific tools for the organization of activities. B: Bottom–up The Team meets health professionals, explaining the aims of telemedicine and showing fields of application. The Team welcomes proposals from professionals themselves, following a bottom–up logic. For each new emerging project, a Working Group is created (see Figure 2). Adopting the logic of process analysis, the group maps the ordinary process at first, useful to effectively design the activities in telemedicine. It is composed of a member of the Telemedicine Team, with the role of Manager, and professionals who are directly involved in the project to be activated. II: Implementation of the HybrId model The model presented is Hybrid: the Strategic Direction legitimizes the activity of the Telemedicine Team and the Working Groups, while from below the requests made by the Operational Units are evaluated by the Team, which periodically reports them to the Strategic Direction for approval. The Telemedicine Team Coordinator is the interface between the two levels.