Ethical and Culturally Equitable Ways of Keeping Costs Under Control While Maximizing the Benefits of the Adoption of Telemedicine

Tenet Healthcare can control training costs by hiring staff who already have experience in telemedicine because they would not require additional training. The experienced staff can then provide on-the-job training to their colleagues, thus eliminating the costs of hiring a qualified trainer. Controlling training costs could enable Tenet Healthcare Organization to redirect the funds spent on training to other activities in the organization to enhance its efficiency. The organization would regularly monitor training needs and any additional expertise needed to meet these needs to maximize the benefits of reducing training costs. The organization will also ensure that any cost controls and benefit reductions are equitable and ethical by conducting a detailed analysis to ensure that they do not affect the welfare of the patients and healthcare providers. For instance, the organization would ensure that the cost reductions do not threaten patient safety or limit access to quality healthcare and do not create bad working conditions for healthcare providers. Notably, bad working conditions could be characterized by pay delays, lack of protective clothing, and long working hours.

References

Baker-Whitcomb, A., & Harvey, J. (2018). Benefits and barriers to Telehealth Credentialing by proxy. Telemedicine and e-Health, 24(11), 922-926. https://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2017.0129

Botrugno, C. (2022). The spread of telemedicine in daily practice. The Cambridge Handbook of Information Technology, Life Sciences and Human Rights, 102-112. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108775038.010

Khemapech, T. (2019). Telemedicine – Meaning, challenges, and opportunities. Siriraj Medical Journal, 71(3), 246-252. https://doi.org/10.33192/smj.2019.38

Manheimer, E. (2015). Prevention of errors and patient safety: Institutional perspectives. Clinical Oncology and Error Reduction, 125-144. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118749272.ch9