Telehealth
Specialists within San Francisco's safety net provide live video and store and forward telehealth consultation services through innovative collaborations with community services and primary care.
Overview
Telehealth Ambassador Program
The Telehealth Ambassador Program consists of volunteers who offer one-on-one technical support for patients including patient portal sign-ups and video visit assistance. The program's aim is to enhance patient digital literacy and increase patient engagement care.
Updated December 2024: The program is currently put on hold. Please check back for updates. Thank you.
Community Behavioral Health Services Telepsychiatry Consultation
Telepsychiatry Consultation leverages synchronous video technologies to provide efficient primary care access to psychiatry services. Telepsychiatry Consultation is part of the Community Behavioral Health Services (CBHS)--Primary Care Behavioral Health Consultation (PCBH) service structure, through which population-based clinical care is co-located and integrated within primary care clinics. Two clinics are currently enrolled as originating sites (Maxine Hall Health Center (MHHC) and Potrero Hill Health Center (PHHC)), with plans to increase reach as PCBH services expand.
ZSFG Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. Early detection and treatment can reduce associated vision loss by 90%. The ZSFG Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program provides diabetic patients point-of-service or day-of-service retinal screening through a store-and-forward (SAF) telehealth platform. After a successful pilot in two primary care health clinics, ZSFG Diabetic Retinopathy Screening is currently deployed across the entire SF Health Network.
ZSFG Teledermatology
Teledermatology is a classic store-and-forward application that can screen and eliminate an estimated 70%-80% of unnecessary in-person dermatology consultations. The ZSFG Department of Dermatology brings years of teledermatology practice and expertise to its service of the San Francisco Health Network. After a successful pilot with two primary care clinic sites (Chinatown Public Health Center and Ocean Park Health Center), teledermatology has now been widely implemented across the SFHN network and has been incorporated into the successful SFHN eConsult program.
People
Community Behavioral Health Services Telepsychiatry Consultation
Leads: Hamilton Holt, MD and Victoria Mycue
ZSFG Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program
Leads: Cynthia Chiu, MD and Jim Larson
ZSFG Teledermatology
Lead: Leslie Kieron, MD
Telehealth Ambassador Program
Program Manager: Amanda Churape