The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is collaborating with health systems to push forward the integration of digital technologies into care delivery.
The new alliance, called the ATA Center of Digital Excellence (CODE), convenes a group of leading health systems to work together on best practices that "prioritize patient-centered care, equitable access and improved clinical and operational outcomes," the ATA said in a press release.
The collaboration brings together health systems and digital health leaders to use cutting-edge digital tools, technologies and services to enhance workflows, better engage more patients and improve healthcare accessibility, the ATA said.
Founding members of CODE include Intermountain Health, Mayo Clinic, MedStar Health, Ochsner Health, OSF HealthCare, Sanford Health, Stanford Health Care, UPMC and West Virginia University Medicine Children’s Hospital.
Companies including Access TeleCare and AvaSure also joined as founding sponsors with the aim of strengthening CODE’s product development knowledge base and to support its mission to advance digital health solutions across care settings.
Membership organizations will share their insights and proven strategies by contributing to published workflows, success stories and benchmarks that shape best practices and maturity models in digital care delivery, helping others develop sustainable and effective models for integrating digital care, ATA executives said.
"The ATA is uniquely positioned to usher in a new era of collaboration within healthcare. Through CODE, we are convening top health systems to establish models that seamlessly integrate digital care into broader care delivery approaches,” said ATA CEO Ann Mond Johnson in a statement. “Telehealth is not an either/or solution but a critical addition to in-person care, addressing gaps where traditional access is limited or unavailable. With these renowned health systems, we are setting the standard for how innovation and technology can enhance, extend, and equalize access to high-quality healthcare for all."
CODE will be overseen by Elissa Baker, formerly of eVisit, FemTech Lab, Phase2 Health and KeyCare, who joined the ATA as senior vice president for digital strategy and clinical innovation. Baker will work directly with CODE members to set strategies that will "position the center as a vital catalyst in reshaping the digital care delivery landscape," the ATA said.
The ATA's CODE accepts applications on a rolling basis, with founding members reviewing and selecting applicants. As CODE expands, its founding members will accept applications from additional health systems, clinical leaders and solution providers.
CODE also will host regular summits and events to facilitate knowledge exchange, highlight successful case studies and provide practical guidance to the broader healthcare community.