A process for developing a telehealth equity dashboard at a large academic health system serving diverse populations

Abstract

Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) rapidly implemented telehealth system-wide as part of its COVID-19 pandemic response. In a four-month period (January–May, 2020), video visits across the system increased more than 1,000-fold (from approximately 80 to 80,000 per month). For vulnerable populations, telehealth may reduce or exacerbate disparities in access to and quality of care. To enhance equity in telehealth access, we must assess, in the moment, how system-wide digital health strategies affect vulnerable populations. In this commentary, we describe how we are developing a telehealth equity dashboard and our plans to apply the data for system-wide improvement in telehealth access. We describe key elements of this process including the composition of the team involved in dashboard creation, how a telehealth impact assessment tool can be used to determine which measures to track, and how dashboard data will inform action across the system to advance equity in telehealth.