With the no-contact demands of COVID-19, telehealth and other remote care tools were thrust into the national spotlight. CMS started to relax certain restrictions regarding telehealth, and the use of video conferences skyrocketed for remote care and communications among clinical teams, patients and their families.

A common perception, however, is that telehealth mostly consists of video chats – and remote care technology has the existing performance and future potential to offer many more functions to elevate overall care, as well as the patient/family experience.

In this conversation with host Stan Massey of Transcend, Robin Stawasz, LMSW and program development executive for Acclivity Health Solutions, provides a range of exciting considerations for the emerging use of telehealth and other remote care tools. 

Starting as a Hospice Social Worker in 1990 and dedicating her professional life to hospice, Robin has held a variety of clinical, leadership and administrative positions within hospice and palliative care, often specializing in innovation and program design. She has served on many regional, state and national Boards and hospice related organizations, and has written and presented on a wide variety of topics focusing on serious illness care.  

Robin’s work with Acclivity Healthcare Solutions helps deliver the technology providers need to ensure patients with advanced illness receive the right care at the right time in the right setting – while honoring the patient’s dignity, goals and values. The company’s Connected Care platform utilizes analytics, machine learning and workflow management to uncover insights needed to avoid unnecessary emergency department and hospital stays. By further empowering home-based care’s effectiveness and efficiency, such technologies help improve quality and reduce spending for America’s sickest and most costly patient populations.