image: TSIM: The Telehealth Framework A comprehensive guide to telehealth implementation and optimization view more
Credit: The Stationery Office
The Foundation for Research Development at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has partnered with The Stationery Office (TSO), a British publishing company, to develop a new guidebook titled TSIM: The Telehealth Framework. The guidebook provides a roadmap for navigating the many challenges involved in the development, implementation and maintenance of a telehealth program. MUSC, a federally recognized National Telehealth Center of Excellence, developed TSIM from its own experience establishing a successful and comprehensive telehealth program. MUSC now offers more than 80 different telehealth services at more than 300 clinical sites across the state of South Carolina.
The official publisher of the U.K. government, TSO publishes best practices and other professional guidance for fields ranging from U.K. legislation to pharmaceutical compliance. TSO’s expertise in publishing technical content made it an ideal partner for MUSC in developing the guidebook.
“This guidebook is meant to be a reference manual for individuals who are looking to start either a telehealth program or optimize an existing one,” said Shawn Valenta, vice president of Healthcare Cloud - Clinical Services at Wellpath and former administrator of the Center for Telehealth at MUSC. “Ultimately, it is aimed at providing a standard for what a telehealth operation should be.”
MUSC and other organizations that have adopted TSIM are realizing the benefits of sustainable delivery, scalable services, effective management and continuous improvement. TSIM: The Telehealth Framework offers a step-by-step approach, using a fictional case study to bring to life the challenges of telehealth implementation to illustrate how TSIM can overcome them.
“What really excites me about this guidebook is the potential to create this community where institutions and individuals who are looking to optimize the patient care experience can share their experiences,” said Dee Ford, M.D., division director for Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy and Sleep Medicine at MUSC. “This guidebook serves as a resource for that community.”
As the TSIM guidebook makes information accessible to more organizations and its adoption becomes more widespread, the hope is that case studies will emerge that will enrich the TSIM framework and initiate conversation.
“TSO and MUSC are keen to collaborate with the wider community to see how they have used or could use TSIM to overcome telehealth challenges in their own settings,” noted Troy J. Huth, associate director of the MUSC Foundation for Research Development.
TSO, MUSC and the MUSC Foundation for Research Development are working together on further initiatives to make the TSIM framework as relevant and accessible as possible across different settings. These projects will aim to improve both organizational and personal performance in the field of telehealth.
Overall, the impact of TSIM may best be summarized by Charles R. Doarn, director of the Telemedicine and e-Health Program at the University of Cincinnati.
“This unique publication brings together information and guidance to enlighten the reader with knowledge that can be put to use immediately,” said Doarn. “The TSIM model provides an excellent resource for all involved in developing and deploying telemedicine and telehealth."
For more information on the TSIM guidebook, please contact Troy J. Huth and visit the TSO website.
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About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state's only integrated, academic health sciences center with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The state's leader in obtaining biomedical research funds, in fiscal year 2019, MUSC set a new high, bringing in more than $284 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.
As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians' practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2020, for the sixth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.