Qualitative Analysis of Telehomecare Nursing Activities

Kathryn H. Dansky, Donna Jenkins, Bryne Yant, Cheryl Dellasega

Telehomecare is the transmission of digital, audio, and video data during a live interactive healthcare encounter between participants in different locations. Using desktop or laptop computers, nurses can provide care more efficiently than with traditional home visits. Increased interests in telehomecare coincides with passage of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which changed home heath reimbursement from a per-visit to prospective-payment system. This financing mechanism shifts risk to the home health agency (HHA), which is already burdened with cost-containment pressures and rising caseloads. Telehomecare is an attractive strategy for HHAs, but the skills necessary to use this technology are unknown.