Sheppard Mullin and Citrin Cooperman Rollout Telehealth Maturity Model

The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 has created a myriad of challenges for healthcare providers to safely meet the evolving needs of their patients solely through a traditional in-person model. Telehealth has quickly shifted from a “nice-to-have” strategy to an essential tool for all healthcare organizations.

In an effort to promote the expansion and utilization of telehealth, federal and state regulators have implemented various changes and relaxations to laws relating to telehealth. Healthcare organizations, including healthcare practices working in all types of specialties, have rapidly integrated telehealth into their core business approaches to adapt to new demands on care delivery and meet the urgent needs of their patients while protecting the future viability of their practice. This rapid integration has been viewed by many as a “stop gap” approach until the COVID-19 crisis passes. From our perspective, however, while COVID-19 has accelerated the shift toward telehealth, telehealth will remain an integral part of the healthcare delivery model moving forward. We believe it is essential that providers establish a strong foundation for a more permanent telehealth strategy after the crisis is over.

Sheppard Mullin and Citrin Cooperman have co-developed a whitepaper in which we:

1. Describe on a high level the regulatory changes stemming from COVID-19 and explore the potential long-term implications of the regulatory changes governing telehealth.
   
   
2. Consider the competencies on which healthcare organizations should focus immediately as they start to build and execute telehealth services.
   
   
3. Introduce a “Telehealth Maturity Model” for consideration by organizations, as they understand the need to pivot and expand their long-term telehealth strategy. 

A copy of the white paper can be found below:

Over the next few weeks, Sheppard Mullin and Citrin Cooperman will be publishing additional tools and resources related to telehealth with a focus on developing key capabilities for a long-term telehealth strategy. We are also developing a Telehealth Quick Assessment to allow organizations to understand their current capabilities and where they fall within the Telehealth Maturity Model, enabling them to target growth across specific core competencies. Please be on the lookout for these additional resources and publications.

*This alert is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice and is not intended to form an attorney client relationship. Please contact your Sheppard Mullin attorney contact for additional information.*