Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Blog

Virtual? In-person? Hybrid? These were the decisions faced by the officers and advisory committee of the Society for Education and the Advancement of Research in Connected Health (SEARCH) after three years of virtual events due to COVID. By 2023, the weariness of virtual meetings had taken its toll, so in-person it was. The outcome exceeded expectations. The National Telehealth Research Symposium in 2023 turned out to be a resounding success!

As in previous years, the meeting would not have succeeded without the support of collaborating organizations, and this year we had six partners return: the Medical University of South Carolina National Telehealth Center of Excellence, the National Consortium of Telehealth Resource Centers, SPROUT (Supporting Pediatric Research on Outcomes and Utilization of Telehealth), the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, the UAMS Translational Research Institute, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center National Telehealth Center of Excellence. New for 2023 was a collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA).

Conversations around healthcare increasingly center on digital equity and inclusion, especially as more communities across the country embrace telehealth, expand broadband connectivity, and consequently recognize the importance, more than ever, of digital literacy.

According to Jaleen Johnson, program manager for the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC), social determinants of health have long been connected to digital literacy and broadband connectivity. However, to better understand that relationship, digital equity and inclusion must first be defined, and an explanation provided as to why these concepts are important, and how they relate to healthcare.

SEARCH 2023 – The National Telehealth Research Symposium connects health researchers, academics and visionaries in telehealth and telemedicine to share findings and foster research partnerships. The annual conference, hosted by the Society for Education and Advancement in Research in Connected Health, focuses on research of telemedicine, telehealth, eHealth, and other healthcare technologies. This year’s conference on November 7-9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will feature research presentations on AI, behavioral health, and more.

COVID-19 is frequently attributed with introducing healthcare providers to the world of telehealth, but for a hospital system serving patients in Colorado and Kansas, the expansion of telehealth has been the norm for almost a decade.

With growth comes a need to negotiate space in tight hospital settings. HealthONE’s remedy was to bring all telehealth under one roof at their Denver headquarters by creating the Virtual Care Center.

“This telehealth conference has been over a year in the making. We've been wanting to do this for some time ... I'm thrilled that this is happening,” John Packham said, welcoming healthcare providers gathered at University of Nevada–Reno, simultaneously connecting with others located in Carson City at the Nevada Health Centers, Las Vegas at UNLV, and virtually.

Packham, Associate Dean for the Office of Statewide Initiatives, University of Nevada–Reno, School of Medicine, added the timing of the conference was perfect with the dust setting on the pandemic.