Now more than ever, Telehealth is an essential tool to enable and improve access to health care services around the globe and right here in Suffolk County. A robust Telehealth program — using innovative technology, advanced data analytics, and best practice training for the healthcare workforce as well as healthcare students — promotes better value in how we deliver and measure the outcomes of the healthcare we provide, while improving patient satisfaction. It also promotes efficiency of care by helping to reduce the costs of unnecessary transports, hospital readmissions and visits.
Expanding and Facilitating Access to Care
The Stony Brook Medicine Healthcare System family, which includes Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook Children's Hospital, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, provides unique advantages for the use of Telehealth. The over 1.4 million people we serve in Suffolk County reflect a diverse population. Telehealth offers the opportunity to address healthcare disparities by connecting specialists from our academic medical center to clinical settings out on the East End, for quality healthcare that might not otherwise be available.
An example of what a powerful tool Telehealth is in democratizing care is the nearly $1 million grant we received from the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC’s) COVID-19 Telehealth Program. The grant makes it possible for our dedicated teams who have worked tirelessly to advance telehealth services, to provide digital devices and remote monitoring equipment to individuals who need access to Telehealth during the ongoing pandemic. Ours is the largest FCC funding of any hospital system on Long Island through the program.
Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders
Our Stony Brook Medicine health system is also closely involved with the statewide Regional Planning Consortium, which is focused on care delivered to those with mental health and substance use disorders. This group is working together with the NYS Department of Health to ensure that telehealth access is tailored to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. The Department of Health is weaving the findings of this group into its recommendations regarding state wide telehealth expansion.
Supporting Professional development and Training
And on the telehealth education front, Stony Brook Medicine is collaborating with Governor Cuomo’s Reimagine New York Commission to develop a telehealth training program with the aim of developing, improving and maintaining the telehealth competencies of medical and behavioral health providers across the state. The open-access continuing professional education telehealth training program, among the first of its kind in the country, was created in collaboration with the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center and Medical Care Development, Inc., New York State Department of Health, and with support from Weill Cornell Medicine, Cityblock Health and additional advisors. We‘re also helping to leading the charge as members of the American Telemedicine Association, which brings together the top minds in telehealth.
For more information about telehealth patient care, education or research initiatives, beyond what's here on our website, contact: telehealth@stonybrookmedicine.edu.
