ASHP Commission on Goals Focuses on Telehealth

Following a year in which demand for telehealth services rose significantly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Commission on Goals, an interdisciplinary group of thought leaders that reviews healthcare trends and provides guidance on potential strategic areas of focus for ASHP, convened March 16^th and discussed strategies to optimize medication outcomes through the use of telehealth.

As a result of rapid implementation and uptake in telehealth, patients have been able to avoid previous barriers to care, such as time and distance, that were only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This success suggests that the use of telehealth as a means of healthcare delivery is likely to continue, even beyond the pandemic.

Telehealth claim lines increased 3,000% nationally from October 2019 to October 2020, according to recently released report from FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to transparency in healthcare costs and health insurance information. Additionally, 49% of executives representing healthcare provider organizations listed telehealth and virtual care as a top innovation priority in the report “Top of Mind for Top Health Systems 2021” by the Center for Connected Medicine and KLAS. 

The Commission on Goals*, which includes leaders from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, academia, and government, was charged with bringing their unique perspective on how collectively the following goals can be achieved:

• Identifying necessary changes to transform and advance patient-centered care and medication-use optimization, including comprehensive medication management through telehealth.
• Identifying actionable solutions to help address barriers to broader adoption of telehealth across interprofessional teams in a post-pandemic future.

The commission focused discussions on patient-centered care and creating value, interprofessional workforce transformation, and trends and opportunities in the telehealth or digital health space that will have a significant impact on healthcare over the next three to five years.

Proceedings of the commission meeting will be published online ahead of print in a forthcoming issue of AJHP.

*Commission on Goals Roster

Kelly Smith, Pharm.D., FASHP, FCCP
Commission Chair
Dean and Professor
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy

Kathleen S. Pawlicki, B.S. Pharm, M.S., R.Ph., FASH
Immediate Past President, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
Commission Vice Chair

Paul Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon), FASHP
Chief Executive Officer
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists

Katherine Capps, B.S.
Co-founder, Executive Director
GTMRx

Michael R. Crawford, M.B.A., M.H.L.
Associate Dean for Strategy, Outreach, and Innovation
Howard University College of Medicine

CAPT Darin D. Daly, M.S., MT (ASCP)
Senior Public Health Analyst
Office of Northern Health Services/Midwest Division
Bureau of Primary Health Care
Health Resource Service Administration
Department of Health and Human Services

Christina E. DeRemer, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCACP, TTS, FASHP
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Florida College of Pharmacy
Ambulatory Clinical Specialist, Community Health and Family Medicine Clinic – Old Town

Tina Gustin, D.N.P., CNS, RN
Associate Professor DNP Program
Director of Telehealth Center for Innovation, Education, and Research (C-TIER)
Old Dominion University

Leonie Heyworth, M.D., M.P.H.
National Synchronous Telehealth Lead
VA Office of Connected Care

Michelle Hood, M.H.A., FACHE
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
American Hospital Association

Patricia "Tricia" Killingsworth, R.Ph.
National Director Pharmacy Integration
Ascension Rx

Mei Kwong, J.D.
Executive Director
Center for Connected Health Policy

Raymond McCall, B.S.Pharm, R.Ph., CSSBB
Chief Strategy Officer
Medly Pharmacy

Alan Morgan, M.P.A.
Chief Executive Officer
National Rural Health Association 

Karen Schulder Rheuban, M.D.
Senior Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education and External Affairs
Medical Director, Office of Telemedicine
UVA Health

Steven Shook, M.D., M.B.A.
Strategic Lead for Virtual Health
Vice Chairman of Operations & Quality Improvement Officer, Neurological Institute
Cleveland Clinic

Chris Syverson, B.S.
Chief Executive Officer
Nevada Business Group on Health

Andrew R. Watson, M.D., M.Litt., FACS
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Vice President, Clinical Information Technology Transformation, International Division
Medical Director, Telemedicine
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Kathy Hsu Wibberly, Ph.D.
Director
Mid-Atlantic Telehealth Resource Center
UVA Center for Telehealth

CAPT David Wong, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer
Office of Minority Health, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Kasey Thompson, Pharm.D., M.S., M.B.A.
Commission Secretary
Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists