Access TeleCare was at the forefront of discussions April 14-16 at Becker’s Annual Conference in Chicago addressing how hospitals are addressing rising demand for specialty care locally despite persistent workforce shortages, uneven specialist distribution, and increasing expectations around access, quality, and continuity.
Chris Gallagher, M.D., founder and chief strategy officer of Access TeleCare, spoke alongside Aaron Hajart, chief executive officer of Community Medical Center and Gian Varbaro, M.D., chief medical officer and vice president of ambulatory services at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, both in New Jersey, highlighting telemedicine’s deployment as a long-term care delivery model rather than a temporary workaround.
Hospitals are using virtual care to address a range of clinical and operational needs, from post-discharge follow-up to emergent stroke response and chronic disease management.
Hospital leaders also see opportunity to enhance or expand existing specialty capacity rather than look only to telemedicine when there is a total absence of specialists.
Insufficient specialist capacity supports continuous, emergent, or multi-site coverage, effectively extending the reach of existing clinical resources, particularly in specialties such as neurology, critical care, and psychiatry.
For patients, it can improve access to timely specialty input without requiring transfer or unnecessary delay. For bedside teams, especially those working nights and weekends, it provides immediate access to specialist support during high-acuity decision-making. For hospitals attempting to recruit and retain difficult-to-staff specialties, it offers a more sustainable coverage model and can reduce some of the burden associated with round-the-clock call responsibilities.
As in any implementation of a new innovative technique, technology, or equipment, program success depends heavily on physician alignment and operational integration. Telemedicine adoption is most effective when it is built into standard clinical workflows, supported by local leadership, and implemented in phases.
The maturity of a telemedicine program is not determined solely by the technology itself, but by how well it is integrated into the clinical and operational fabric of the organization.
That framework is highly relevant in the current environment. Rural and community hospitals are under pressure to do more with constrained resources while preserving access to high-quality care close to home. Acute telemedicine offers a practical way to expand specialty coverage, support local clinicians, and strengthen the hospital’s ability to care for more patients within its own system.
Access TeleCare was proud to contribute to this year’s Becker’s conversation and to continue advancing virtual specialty care models that are clinically sound, operationally realistic, and aligned with the long-term needs of hospitals and the communities they serve.
