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A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study

OBJECTIVE: To address the problem of limited health care access for patients in rural southern Minnesota, a digitally capable mobile health clinic (MHC) quality improvement initiative was launched in a rural community-based health system. METHODS: This project was designed and implemented according...

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Autores principales: Iqbal, Asif, Anil, Gokhan, Bhandari, Pawan, Crockett, Eric D., Hanson, Victoria M., Pendse, Bhushan S., Eckdahl, Jonathan S., Horn, Jennifer L.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9500515/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36160638
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2022.08.002
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author Iqbal, Asif
Anil, Gokhan
Bhandari, Pawan
Crockett, Eric D.
Hanson, Victoria M.
Pendse, Bhushan S.
Eckdahl, Jonathan S.
Horn, Jennifer L.
author_facet Iqbal, Asif
Anil, Gokhan
Bhandari, Pawan
Crockett, Eric D.
Hanson, Victoria M.
Pendse, Bhushan S.
Eckdahl, Jonathan S.
Horn, Jennifer L.
author_sort Iqbal, Asif
collection PubMed
description OBJECTIVE: To address the problem of limited health care access for patients in rural southern Minnesota, a digitally capable mobile health clinic (MHC) quality improvement initiative was launched in a rural community-based health system. METHODS: This project was designed and implemented according to our institutional strategic plan, guiding principles for virtual community care, and existing approved standards of care. A quality improvement development and pilot implementation framework was rapidly developed using Agile methodology. RESULTS: The resulting technology and equipment selection, overall clinic design, vehicle vendor selection, clinical schedule and workflows, staffing model, equipment and technology selection, and testing were achieved in 12 months. The pilot site communities were chosen on the basis of size, interest, and lack of existing access. Four underserved rural communities now have access to telehealth consultations, laboratory testing, and in-person primary care examinations. By April 30, 2022, the MHC had provided 1498 patient appointments while maintaining our standards of care. Newly established broadband internet access for these communities and their residents was a valuable secondary outcome. CONCLUSION: By designing and implementing an MHC quality improvement intervention that provides both in-person and advanced telehealth options for patients in rural communities, our institution rapidly provided a potential solution for the rural health care crisis. The MHC not only replaces traditional brick-and-mortar facilities but also expands service offerings and access to technology for rural communities and the people who live and work in them.
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spelling pubmed-95005152022-09-24 A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study Iqbal, Asif Anil, Gokhan Bhandari, Pawan Crockett, Eric D. Hanson, Victoria M. Pendse, Bhushan S. Eckdahl, Jonathan S. Horn, Jennifer L. Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes Original Article OBJECTIVE: To address the problem of limited health care access for patients in rural southern Minnesota, a digitally capable mobile health clinic (MHC) quality improvement initiative was launched in a rural community-based health system. METHODS: This project was designed and implemented according to our institutional strategic plan, guiding principles for virtual community care, and existing approved standards of care. A quality improvement development and pilot implementation framework was rapidly developed using Agile methodology. RESULTS: The resulting technology and equipment selection, overall clinic design, vehicle vendor selection, clinical schedule and workflows, staffing model, equipment and technology selection, and testing were achieved in 12 months. The pilot site communities were chosen on the basis of size, interest, and lack of existing access. Four underserved rural communities now have access to telehealth consultations, laboratory testing, and in-person primary care examinations. By April 30, 2022, the MHC had provided 1498 patient appointments while maintaining our standards of care. Newly established broadband internet access for these communities and their residents was a valuable secondary outcome. CONCLUSION: By designing and implementing an MHC quality improvement intervention that provides both in-person and advanced telehealth options for patients in rural communities, our institution rapidly provided a potential solution for the rural health care crisis. The MHC not only replaces traditional brick-and-mortar facilities but also expands service offerings and access to technology for rural communities and the people who live and work in them. Elsevier 2022-09-22 /pmc/articles/PMC9500515/ /pubmed/36160638 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2022.08.002 Text en © 2022 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle Original Article
Iqbal, Asif
Anil, Gokhan
Bhandari, Pawan
Crockett, Eric D.
Hanson, Victoria M.
Pendse, Bhushan S.
Eckdahl, Jonathan S.
Horn, Jennifer L.
A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title_full A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title_fullStr A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title_full_unstemmed A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title_short A Digitally Capable Mobile Health Clinic to Improve Rural Health Care in America: A Pilot Quality Improvement Study
title_sort digitally capable mobile health clinic to improve rural health care in america: a pilot quality improvement study
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9500515/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36160638
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocpiqo.2022.08.002
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