An Innovative Teledermatology Approach to Improve Health Outcomes

Studies show that one out of every five Americans will develop skin cancer. Health center patients wait an average 180 days from a provider ordering a referral until a dermatology appointment is scheduled, 75 days from when the dermatology appointment is scheduled until the appointment occurs, and another 44 days from the dermatology appointment until a consult is received back from the dermatologist. This session will discuss how seven community health centers in Massachusetts collaborated on a two-year pilot project to test a triaging system that would reduce the number of unnecessary referrals and the wait time for a dermatological consultation.

This program has already seen some very positive outcomes and very serious and urgent cases are being caught much more quickly due to the triaging system. Successes and challenges related to operations and electronic medical record integration will be presented to participants for consideration as they plan their own implementation initiatives.

• Understand the positive health outcomes of implementing teledermatology at a CHC.
• Understand how to implement this type of program at a CHC.
• Identify the challenges associated with trying to implement an innovative teledermatology program.