NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

Implementation Plan

Leveraging teletherapy technology in the healthcare setting enhances the productivity and performance of the organization. It brings a multitude of benefits such as increased patient comfort, increased access to mental health services, and reduce costs for both healthcare providers and patients. It is crucial to assess the needs of an organization to bring positive changes in the healthcare organization. Moreover, the implementation plan will also consider legal aspects to enhance patient privacy under Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The technical assistance and training to healthcare professionals enhance their capability to provide effective care services through teletherapy platforms.

Assessing Existing Teletherapy Infrastructure

Teletherapy integration in healthcare settings eases access to care services for people having health comorbidities, specifically issues pertaining to mental health. Teletherapy provides equal care to people by utilizing digital technologies. The suggested implication of modernized technology for teletherapy will provide care services to the people and bring positive health outcomes. The factors that facilitate assessing the adequacy of technology are; the use of teletherapy providers, internet connectivity, and interoperability (Eppler, 2021). 

For teletherapy to be impactful, the organization must maintain reliable internet connectivity to support the transmission of high-quality video and audio between providers and patients. The organization uses reliable teletherapy to conduct the session to protect patient data The end-user experience, in this case, a patient with mental health issues brings positive health outcomes by utilizing good and reliable teletherapy technology (Puspitasari et al., 2021).

Teletherapy requires a solid network infrastructure that shows compliance with different teletherapy provider platforms such as Doxy.me, Zoom, Theranest (Maier et al., 2021). Moreover, teletherapy needs the latest hardware tools such as the latest computers and laptops, advanced microphones, and speakers to overcome the technical glitches in the provision of teletherapy services. Likewise, the care setting needs the installation of software that strictly adheres to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) rules to safeguard the patient’s sensitive health information acquired during teletherapy sessions. (Edemekong et al., 2022).  

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

During teletherapy sessions, the organization should have the necessary safeguards in place to guarantee the security and privacy of patient data. Using encryption, creating secure login credentials, and storing data securely are a few examples of this (Malmurugan et al., 2022).

Technology needs to be reliant, productive, and simple to use to bring positive health outcomes to the end user. There is a need to install efficient software and hardware to enhance the efficacy of teletherapy technology (Miyazono et al., 2019). Moreover, the adaptation should be coherent with the previous infrastructure to reduce the financial burden on the organization.

Knowledge Gaps and Missing Information

The knowledge gap identified in the evaluation of existing teletherapy infrastructure is the lack of knowledge about the latest software among healthcare professionals. Moreover, many members of the staff can not comprehend the complex rules and regulations of HIPAA which pose a severe threat to patient data privacy, thereby reducing patient compliance with teletherapy services. 

Allocating Duties to Deploy the Teletherapy Technology

The duties allocation among the stakeholder is a crucial step in implementing the change in healthcare settings. Applying teletherapy technology requires collaboration among key stakeholders such as nurses, physicians, IT professionals, and administrative, legal, and finance personnel. The rationale of task allocation is to enhance patient outcomes, increased access to care, reduce costs, and boost organizational productivity (Hoffman, 2020). 

Healthcare professionals especially nurses assess the requisites needed for the teletherapy session to bring positive health outcomes. They inform about the teletherapy session importance to patients and boost patient satisfaction by providing quality care (Gangamma et al., 2021). The IT professionals are responsible for the modification of infrastructure to enhance the system interoperability in the organization. If IT professionals are unavailable then the organizations can outsource the work to IT experts in the healthcare industry who will provide technical support (Wootton et al., 2019). They can also provide staff training about the constructive use of teletherapy technology to bring positive outcomes eventually.

Administrative and legal staff will evaluate the patient health outcomes and the professional adherence to the HIPAA rules to safeguard data privacy. The administrator’s duties are to manage the teletherapy process where the healthcare professional provide teletherapy session to the people (Edemekong et al., 2022). In case of unavailability of legal staff, help from external counselors can provide detailed knowledge about the privacy and security laws relevant to the healthcare industry (Fields, 2020)

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

The finance personnel will be responsible for designing a budget plan for the successful deployment of teletherapy technology in the organization. It would entail the organization’s technological necessities, selecting the teletherapy platform, and evaluating other resources (Snoswell et al., 2020). To guarantee the effective execution of the deployment of teletherapy technology, it is important to ensure that each team member is given tasks and responsibilities that correspond to their abilities and areas of expertise. I will work as a liaison officer in a teletherapy project and facilitate collaboration between different stakeholders. I also ensure that the stakeholders abide by the ethical and legal standards during the deployment of teletherapy technology.

Schedule for Implementation

The implementation schedule requires a detailed assessment of the existing infrastructure and the need for modification. The approach used for scheduling the implementation is a parallel implementation, in which the latest teletherapy infrastructure is deployed with the previous infrastructure (Mathieson et al., 2019). The previous technology uses outdated software and communication tools so it needs modification. The parallel implementation maintains the continuity of care and brings positive health outcomes eventually. The following steps are vital for the implementation: 

• Identifying key stakeholders; would take at least 2-3 months to finalize.
• Existing technology evaluation; around a period of 30 days
• Choosing a teletherapy platform; will take 2 weeks approximately
• Staff training for constructive use of teletherapy; requires a period of one month
• Policies development; would take 10 days
• Pilot testing and evaluation; will take 2 weeks 
• Deploying of latest teletherapy technology; would take less than a week
• Evaluate performance through patient outcomes and staff satisfaction; need 30 days

Allocating a timeframe for each step in the deployment plan provides a clear roadmap for stakeholders to implement in stages. The scheduling of implementation help in utilizing the financial and material resources accurately and save extra cost and time.The identification of key stakeholders and existing technology evaluation address the needs of the organization’s IT infrastructure in delivering the best care services and reducing costs (Snoswell et al., 2020). The existing technology averts the financial burden and reduces the cost related to purchasing equipment while keeping the process in a running format. 

The selection of the correct teletherapy platform is necessary to enhance satisfaction among the staff as they use the technology for care provision. The staff training needs finances and resources so evaluating the needs is vital for successful implementation. The organization can conduct training workshops by partnering with teletherapy platform providers that reduce the cost associated with training expenses. 

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

Creating policies relevant to teletherapy that strictly adhere to HIPAA helps in maintaining privacy laws. It also entails documentation protocols and standards for directing teletherapy sessions (Theodos & Sittig, 2021).. Furthermore, pilot testing will be conducted to evaluate the success factor of teletherapy sessions.  If the results are not promising then the organization takes help from technology specialists who facilitate the integration of technology into their organization’s workspace (Sorra et al., 2021). Finally, teletherapy technology is deployed to enhance the organization’s productivity and performance in the healthcare organization.

Determine Staff Training Requirements and Strategies

Staff training is a pivotal step in enhancing the constructive use of teletherapy technology in the healthcare setting. The training requirements ought to be in alignment with the staff’s existing level of skill. It can be carried out through interviews, surveys, or performance evaluations (Damery et al., 2021). Moreover, it becomes necessary to pinpoint the pertinent knowledge and abilities and notice the knowledge gaps. The healthcare professional should be trained for the productive use of teletherapy technology as they are the main players in providing care services to patients through teletherapy sessions. 

They use the technology by adhering to HIPAA rules to safeguard patient data from breaches (Theodos & Sittig, 2021). The training is provided by using various methods; online learning platforms, in-person training, mentoring, and group case studies. The training is to be conducted periodically to boost the knowledge and skill of the staff. The knowledge about authorized access to the platform will be provided during the training to enhance the patient’s health and safety during teletherapy sessions. The learning outcomes of the staff training can be assessed through evaluations. It can be conducted through online surveys, feedback, and other performance evaluation forms (Gnepp et al., 2020). Get free NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

Assumptions

Any assumptions are based on the staff members being highly knowledgeable healthcare professionals. The training would help in addressing the facilitation of utilizing the new teletherapy platform effectively.

Collaboration Approaches with Patients and Specialists

Collaboration is a mainstay to enhance patient health outcomes in healthcare settings. Effective collaboration requires open communication between patients and healthcare professionals (Prentice et al., 2020). Healthcare specialists should use an active listening approach to understand the patient’s needs and requirements. It helps them to design an effective and personalized care plan. The active listening approach also enhances the interdisciplinary collaboration between professionals and shared clinical decision-making (McDonald & Dickinson, 2019). It also involves the patient’s in care planning that boosts their satisfaction levels. 

Transformational leadership will enhance the collaboration between healthcare professionals and improve the culture of shared decision-making. Moreover, it also emphasizes patient-centered care to fulfill the healthcare needs of patients to bring positive health outcomes eventually (Moon et al., 2019). The end user will be appreciative of the teletherapy technology as it addresses their healthcare needs and provide them an effective care plan without wasting time. 

Data breaches, lack of communication, and hesitancy to change are some factors that can hinder the effective use of teletherapy. Patients’ unwillingness to share data with healthcare professionals hinders achieving positive outcomes. They may fear that their sensitive information may go into the wrong hands. It is due to a lack of transparent communication and different beliefs (Tiwary et al., 2019). Healthcare professionals may show hesitant behavior toward the new technology due to changes in the treatment protocol. It is due to less understanding and knowledge about the benefits of the technology process (Zhang et al., 2020).

Evaluating Teletherapy Technology 

To ensure that the technology is functioning at optimum efficiency and fulfills the requirements of both the practitioner and the client, a post-deployment teletherapy technology assessment and maintenance strategy is essential. The factors that should be taken into account when evaluating the technology implementation are, firstly, monitoring evaluation maintenance and, secondly, adherence to guidelines (Wang et al., 2021). The first step is to monitor the performance and feedback evaluation. It shows the improvement in outcomes after the implementation of technology. The periodic maintenance of technology overcomes technical glitches and other issues. The evaluation must consider the HIPAA guidelines to ensure that the organization strictly adheres to these guidelines and protect patient data (Swede et al., 2019).

The feedback evaluation provides a clear picture of performance metrics that help in distinguishing the success and failure of technology. For instance, increase patient satisfaction rating and cost-saving insinuates that the technology enhances the productivity of the organization (Gnepp et al., 2020). However, the reduced number of patients to access services implies that patients are unwilling to receive the teletherapy-based care plan. 

NURS FPX 6214 Assessment 3 Implementation Plan

The workflow may get affected due to technical issues and increased documentation processes. The execution of new technology requires additional paperwork that will be time-consuming in the initial stages. Staff may be burdened and this can hamper the smooth workflow of the organization (Moore et al., 2020). However, in the long run, the technology promises to brings positive outcomes by streamlining the workflows. For instance, teletherapy sessions reduce the need for in-person appointments and also save travel costs and time. The technology used during teletherapy can facilitate standardizing procedures between different departments and reduce workflow variability (Zheng et al., 2020). Hence, it enhances the smooth workflow in the organization and provides effective quality care to the people

Conclusion

In summary, implementing teletherapy technology can give a feasible and effective way to provide care services to people living in distant or underserved areas. Moreover, it also helps people who find it challenging to access in-person treatment. It is essential to determine the needs of the population, select a reliable teletherapy platform, and train the staff for positive health outcomes. Teletherapy services also take into account ethical and legal concerns to boost patient satisfaction with the technology.

References

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