Puerto Rico unveils 1st patient-centered telehealth research road map
Impactivo, in partnership with the Fundación Agenda Ciudadana (Citizen Agenda Foundation), has developed Puerto Rico’s first patient-centered telehealth research agenda, marking what participants describe as a milestone in expanding access to care.
The agenda is the product of the initial phase of the HEAL Puerto Rico project, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). It brought together health care organizations, government agencies, patient advocates and universities to address physician shortages, barriers in rural areas and the sustainability of the health care system. Natural disasters in recent years have underscored the urgency of new approaches to care delivery.
“This research agenda represents a turning point for health care delivery in Puerto Rico,” said María Fernanda Levis, CEO of Impactivo. “We brought together diverse voices … and created a road map to guide the implementation of telehealth technologies in ways that genuinely address the needs of patients and providers while overcoming persistent barriers.”
The plan identifies eight priority research questions for future telehealth implementation, including humanizing virtual care, strengthening education, developing policies and certifications, ensuring equitable access, and integrating telehealth into preventive care.
María de Lourdes Lara, executive director of Fundación Agenda Ciudadana, said the process reflected the needs of Puerto Rico’s communities. “By bringing patients, providers, researchers and policymakers together in structured dialogue, we’ve created a foundation … that addresses both clinical and social determinants of health.”
The partners will release a full report and call on researchers and health systems to collaborate on proposals for PCORI and other federal funding.
“Telehealth has enormous potential to ease physician shortages and close geographic gaps in care,” Levis said. “When it’s done well and used for the right purposes, telehealth works. However, many health systems take a cookie-cutter approach that often fails. We need to design and implement telehealth in ways that are tailored to the unique needs of each community.”
Impactivo and Fundación Agenda Ciudadana are now seeking funding to turn the research agenda into projects integrated into Puerto Rico’s health care system.
