New Center Aims to Further Telehealth Research, Education

After receiving approval from its Board of Regents, Texas A&M University plans to add a Telehealth Institute to its health system, supporting virtual care-related research, education, and clinical services.

Advancing knowledge on the use of telehealth is becoming a necessity, as telehealth remains widely used across the healthcare industry. To address this and build upon the evolving model of care delivery, Texas A&M University plans to add a Telehealth Institute to Texas A&M Health.

The Telehealth Institute will be led by Executive Director Carly McCord, PhD, clinical associate professor in the Texas A&M School of Medicine and the School of Education and Human Development. The Texas A&M Health Digital Health Initiative will assist in creating and operating the institute. The Digital Health Initiative, led by Jim Colson, associate vice president of digital health at Texas A&M Health, focuses on developing digital health processes, systems, and technologies.

The structure of the Telehealth Institute comprises three teams: research, clinical, and education.

The research team will lead projects related to telehealth, applying scholarly work, and guiding efforts taking place at the university. The clinical team will focus on the care that patients receive, ensuring healthcare access and the practical application of research. The education team will mainly provide training to those engaged in telehealth, including students, trainees, and providers.

As part of their mission, these teams will aim to ensure telehealth access among diverse populations, the press release notes.

“The need for excellence in telehealth is undeniable. We are excited to build on 14 years of successful research and care in telebehavioral health and take on new challenges in improving health outcomes for rural and underserved communities,” said McCord in a press release. “By creating new telehealth service offerings and synergizing faculty expertise across the university, we will continue to make advancements in telehealth care and knowledge. Texas A&M is perfectly poised to lead in this space, and it is a privilege and a pleasure to have the opportunity to lead this institute.”

Amid the ongoing growth of telehealth, efforts to enhance education and research are prominent.

In September 2022, the Joint Commission began a patient safety campaign to improve telehealth education and guidance with navigation. Known as Speak Up At Your Telehealth Visit, this campaign intended to provide patients with recommendations and warnings in the process of using telehealth. This occurred through various outreach methods, such as a poster, a video, and a distribution guide.

In August 2022, four organizations established plans to assemble telehealth research centers of excellence after receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Directed toward enhancing cancer care, the research efforts among the involved organizations vary from determining how veteran demographics impact virtual care to how various telehealth strategies impact shared decision-making for lung cancer care.