School-Based Telehealth\u00a0programs have been shown to help improve access to care, reduce absenteeism, and support school nurses and families.\u00a0Intermountain Health<\/a>\u00a0has recently expanded these virtual, clinical services through\u00a0Intermountain Health\u2019s Connect Care<\/a>\u00a0team and collaboration with local health\u00a0providers in Utah,\u00a0providing acute medical care for students\u2019 acute medical care for students during school hours.<\/p>\n Intermountain Health and other community partners are helping organize and implement the\u00a0program within Utah schools.<\/p>\n Currently, this partnership is being utilized by\u00a0Wasatch County\u00a0School District<\/a>\u00a0and is expanding to other school districts in Utah. For example, Canyons and Weber School Districts are piloting the\u00a0program in some of their highest-need schools.<\/p>\n Intermountain Connect Care is the current\u00a0provider support model with the intent to include community health\u00a0providers, as much as possible. This\u00a0program is open to other healthcare\u00a0providers in the area who would like to participate, as well.<\/p>\n The School-Based Telehealth\u00a0program aims to reduce healthcare costs by treating conditions that can be seen through telehealth services. Telehealth is a valuable tool to reduce disparities and\u00a0provide equitable access to healthcare for families.<\/p>\n Telehealth services have been shown to reduce hospitalization, emergency care and school absenteeism, diminish the financial burden on families and reduce health care costs in general.<\/p>\n To participate in the School-Based Telehealth\u00a0program, parents sign a consent to treat their child and\u00a0provide their health\u00a0insurance information. If they don\u2019t have health insurance, financial assistance for this service is available. A Connect Care visit costs $69.<\/p>\n Benefits of the\u00a0School-Based Telehealth\u00a0Program from Intermountain include:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cParents, school health\u00a0professionals, and\u00a0providers are very happy with what the\u00a0program offers. This has shown to receive very positive feedback, including some parents who have agreed it is a safe, fast, convenient, trustworthy and money saving option,\u201d said Amy Back, RN, MSN,\u00a0executive director of the pediatric telehealth\u00a0program for Intermountain Health.<\/p>\n The School-Based Telehealth\u00a0program helps to level the playing field and address the chronic absentee\u00a0problem in Utah, which represents 27% of students statewide and impacts the overall economy, the ability for students to learn, and the long-term health of students.<\/p>\n As a result of the support for this\u00a0program from participating district administrators and school board leaders, teachers have greater satisfaction with their jobs because they don\u2019t have as many students missing class. It\u2019s also easier on parents when they don\u2019t have to miss work for doctor\u2019s appointments, and nurses are able to\u00a0practice at the top of their license, which gives them better job satisfaction.<\/p>\n \u201cThis\u00a0program is working and is\u00a0proving to be a valuable asset in the school district,\u201d said Back. \u201cIt\u2019s estimated by implementing and using the full spectrum of the\u00a0school-based telehealth\u00a0program, that 5,500 days of education were saved in 2023-24, which is a 175% increase from last year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor students who use the\u00a0program, 96% of them return to class. If they do go home, 82% miss less than one day of school,\u201d added Cooper. \u201cParents are recognizing the value of having telehealth in schools. Currently, 90% of parents who are offered to participate in the\u00a0program opt-in. Overall, in the Wasatch County School District, 35% of parents have chosen to opted-in and have their children to participate.\u201d<\/p>\n For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at\u00a0https:\/\/news.intermountainhealth.org<\/a>.\t\t<\/p>\n \n About Intermountain Health<\/strong>\n <\/p>\n Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health<\/a><\/b> is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https:\/\/intermountainhealthcare.org\/news<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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