AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine

safetyprogram4telemedicine@norc.org

The AHRQ Safety Program for Telemedicine is a series of learning cohorts of healthcare professionals who use telemedicine as a care delivery model. The current cohort (March - May, 2023) focuses on improving the cancer diagnostic process and will include telehealth practices in adult and family primary care, gynecology, and community-based health clinics who regularly provide cancer diagnoses. Providers and practices from rural communities are encouraged to apply.

Participants will receive one-on-one technical assistance, coaching, networking, and ongoing education. Objectives include:

• Learn best practices for closing the loop at critical points in the diagnostic process for breast, colorectal, and lung cancer in the telemedicine environment
• Prepare to serve increasing patient volumes over telemedicine
• Improve the patient safety culture
• Enhance teamwork and communication

The second cohort, focused on antibiotic use, will open for applications in December, 2023.

Eligible participants are ambulatory and primary care facilities that engage in primary diagnosis of breast, colorectal, and lung cancer. Practices must:

• Use telehealth
• Have video-based telemedicine capabilities
• Have a brick-and-mortar location
• Diagnose or have abnormal screenings for 12 or more breast, colorectal, or lung cancers per year

Examples of eligible practices:

• Primary care practices (adult and family)
• Gynecology practices
• Community-based health clinics
• Federally Qualified Health Centers
• Urgent care clinics

The program is provided at no cost to participants. 150-300 practices across the United States will participate in the program.

Participants are eligible to receive continuing education units (CEUs), continuing medical education credits (CMEs), and American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification points (MOCs).

A link to the online application is available on the program website.