Research & Outcomes

Two persons communicating by camera and laptop computer.

MUSC Health Center of Excellence

The MUSC Center for Telehealth is one of two federally recognized National Telehealth Centers of Excellence (COE) as designated by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) in 2017. In 2021, the COE was renewed for another 5 years and will receive a total of $16.25 million to fill important gaps in the national telehealth landscape through a combination of ongoing regional and national collaborations, as well as proactive dissemination of telehealth resources. The COE supports over 50 faculty and staff who will be working on 16+ subprojects over the next five years focused on telehealth economic evaluation, improving quality of care via telehealth, and improving health system and provider experience with telehealth.

SC Telehealth Research Pilot Grants

The SCTA partnered with the SC Clinical and Translational Research Institute (SCTR) again in 2021, to award two $25,000 Telehealth Research Pilot Grants with the aim to accelerate the adoption, utilization, and investigation of telehealth interventions in South Carolina:

  • BioWare to Enhance Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Amber Jarnecke, MD (MUSC)
  • Adapting a Program of SUPPORT for Telehealth Delivery in Advanced Lung Disease, Kathleen Lindell, MD (MUSC)

SC Center For Rural and Primary Health Care

The SCTA continued its partnership with the SC Center for Rural and Primary Health Care (CRPH) at the USC School of Medicine, to support telehealth research and innovation, with a particular focus on rural and primary care practices. Early in the year, CRPH built upon the previous work of the SCTA and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health to assess the barriers and facilitators of successful telehealth adoption among small rural and primary healthcare practices in South Carolina amidst the pandemic. Results will help inform future policy changes, assess the impact of COVID-19 on telehealth use, and identify key resources needed to support telehealth services for rural South Carolina.

Callouts

  • In 2021, at least 115 peer-reviewed articles on telehealth were published by South Carolina researchers, over a 17% increase from the year prior.