Tele-Emergency Medicine
Tele-Emergency Medicine (TeleEM)
Utah Emergency Physicians (UEP) is committed to doing the right thing for patients, including helping patients make the decision if they need to go to the emergency department at all. Evolving and incorporating new technologies and novel strategies to care for patients is critical to providing the best care for patients in our changing healthcare landscape. The development of the Intermountain Tele-Emergency Medicine (TeleEM) program was designed to do this, and UEP has been instrumental in the development and growth of this valuable program.
Still in its infancy, this program utilizes telehealth technology to allow physicians to engage patients and understand their medical concerns and risk earlier in their care journey. This novel model of upstream engagement often allows our physicians to formulate more convenient and cost-effective plans for care outside of the emergency department for problems that have traditionally been managed solely in the ER.
Currently, patients are referred to TeleEM after first being evaluated by either our virtual or in-person urgent care services (ConnectCare or InstaCare). TeleEM supports all InstaCares in Utah with plans for expansion into Idaho, Montana, and Colorado.
Currently, Tele-EM is primarily focused on self-pay patients and patients with value-based care contracts and continues to look for opportunities to be involved in all aspects of patient care.
TeleEM not only supports patients but also aligns incentives for both healthcare systems and insurance providers, making it easier for all partners to do the right thing for patients. With high quality and convenience at a lower cost, TeleEM provides excellent care solutions for both patients and healthcare systems.
The current healthcare climate demands new strategies with forward thinking solutions and a willingness from healthcare to engage with patients in novel ways. TeleEM provides such a solution, with access to a treatment space allowing patients to participate in the decision-making processes and risk aspects of their own healthcare. The TeleEM model also allows medical systems to utilize their existing resources both efficiently and effectively to meet increasing demands while at the same time mitigating costs.
Utah Emergency Physicians is actively engaged in continuing to grow and develop the Intermountain TeleEM program by providing increased outreach and support to smaller communities, improving the efficiency of our partnered emergency departments, and providing a comprehensive “Front Door” for patients seeking medical care.
Patients should feel supported throughout their care journey from beginning to end. TeleEM and UEP are committed to helping our patients on this journey by our continued development of Tele services, providing high-quality, low-cost and convenient care to those that need it the most.
We would love to be your partner! If your group, plan, or healthcare system has questions on how TeleEM is right for you, please contact:
Joel Taylor, MD
Director, TeleEM