084_Telemedicine, Virtual Reality, and the Future of Patient Access with Suleima Salgado

Host: Jarvis T. Gray, The Quality Coaching Co.
Guest: Suleima Salgado, CEO, Global Partnership for TeleHealth

Leadership & Mindset

• Suleima Salgado shares her guiding leadership mindset, "It's not about being in charge. It's about taking care of the people who you're in charge of."

Telehealth: Past, Present, and Future

• Suleima Salgado discusses her journey from front-desk bilingual translator in public health to leadership in telemedicine (02:36).
• Passion for public health and the value of seeing direct impacts in the community (03:05).
• Telemedicine as both an access tool and a means of making healthcare more efficient and patient-centered (00:12, 15:16).

Innovations in Telemedicine

• Trends of note:
  • Integration of Virtual Reality (VR) in telemedicine, especially for pediatric and senior populations (04:43).
  • VR pilot programs in Puerto Rico for older adults, tackling depression through immersive cultural experiences (05:16).
  • AI’s emerging role in telehealth, including provider notes and patient intake (09:36).

Current State & Barriers

• Telemedicine usage has fluctuated post-pandemic but is here to stay (06:50).
• Main challenge: Integrating telehealth into existing workflows and EHRs (14:40).
• Barriers to adoption:
  • Lack of awareness/reimbursement and coding confusion (16:12)
  • Ongoing broadband and technology access gaps (16:41)

Leadership Lessons & Advice

• Pivotal moment: learning to let go of previous roles that no longer fit and embracing change, especially for a better work–life balance through telehealth (10:49).
• Key advice from a mentor: “Your opinion matters, your perspective matters… If you don’t share your insights, the room loses the opportunity to hear your perspective” (13:11).
• Encouragement to leaders: use your voice, don’t stay quiet (20:14).

Supporting Small Healthcare Businesses

• Telemedicine can create access benefits for small healthcare businesses and practices, including in rural communities (18:03).
• Suggests utilizing Telehealth Resource Centers for best practices and models (18:30).

Book & Resource Recommendations

• "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High" by Stephen Covey (21:09)
• "The Survival Guide" (on dealing with difficult people and conversations) (21:27)

Looking Ahead

• Suleima Salgado is excited about expanding telemedicine’s maternal, infant, and child health applications (23:17), and personal growth through the Leadership Gwinnett program (22:33).

Connect with Suleima Salgado

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suleimasalgado/ 
• Website: gpth.org

Notable Quotes

"Telehealth’s intent was to reduce barriers, improve health outcomes, create more efficient patient-centered systems..." – Suleima Salgado (15:26)

"If you don’t like it anymore or it just doesn’t suit you, do something different." – Suleima Salgado (11:09)

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