Multispecialty Synchronous Telehealth Utilization and Patient Satisfaction Within Regional Health Command Europe: A Readiness and Recapture System for Health

ABSTRACT Background: Telehealth implementation within the Military Healthcare System continues to advance toward the goal of a mature regional health platform; however, specialty-specific usage or patient satisfaction regarding synchronous or “real-time” telehealth at the regional military hospital level has not been described. Methods: A retrospective review of synchronous telehealth encounters and patient satisfaction surveys from Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) specialty clinics engaging in synchronous telehealth to regional Army Health Clinics (AHCs) during 2015 was conducted. Results: 2,354 synchronous telehealth encounters were conducted for 1,886 unique patients. The majority of patients were adults (88.4%), male (71.1%), and active duty (75%). Twelve distinct distant locations were engaged in synchronous telehealth with 31 distinct specialties. 1,552 (62.5%) patients had a single telehealth visit with a median (range) of 1 (1–7) visit. Median (range) visits per specialty was 25 (1–582) wi...