Tapestry Telehealth was a featured speaker Nov. 15 at the Pennsylvania Health Care Association’s 2018 Annual Convention and Trade Show at Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, Pa., where participants got a firsthand look at TapestryCare™, a full-scope multi-specialty telemedicine model designed for rural nursing homes.
The Pennsylvania Health Care Association advocates for compassionate, quality, long-term care for Pennsylvania’s elderly and disabled residents. The association has more than 500 members, including long-term care and senior service providers that tend to the needs of some 50,000 elderly and disabled individuals.
Pennsylvania is a natural fit for Tapestry Telehealth’s TapestryCare™ program, which gives rural nursing home residents and patients bedside access to primary and specialty care services that until now were mostly available only in urban and larger metropolitan areas.
According to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, the commonwealth has 48 rural counties and 19 urban counties. In 2010, nearly 3.5 million residents, or 27 percent of the state's 12.7 million residents, lived in a rural county.
Pennsylvania is among a dozen states where Tapestry Telehealth operates.
During the Tapestry Telehealth presentation, long-term care professionals learned what makes TapestryCare™ so different from other telemedicine programs, which usually only provide silos of care. With TapestryCare™, facilities get a comprehensive medical team and a dedicated nurse practitioner supported by a full-scope multi-specialty medical and behavioral health group. The Tapestry team integrates with the facility nursing and medical teams, even doing regularly scheduled rounds with patients.
The program is especially valuable for administrators and other long-term leaders facing changing regulations. TapestryCare™ helps facilities improve and maintain Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality and rating measures.
The PHCA convention and trade show is the latest showcase for Tapestry Telehealth. The company’s model has gained widespread recognition and praise for the unique service it offers to rural nursing homes in a dozen states since launching a little more than a year ago.