Michelle Griffith, MD, assistant professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, recently received an award for her work building networks for and advocacy of telehealth from the University for Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Institute for Digital Health & Innovation’s South Central Telehealth Resource Center.
“Dr. Griffith has played a critical role in developing VUMC’s ambulatory telehealth programs,” said Amber Humphrey, director of VUMC Telehealth.
“She is quick to engage colleagues regarding the benefits of telehealth and is a subject matter expert on documentation. She is passionate about medicine, and recognizes that telehealth is not a stand-alone solution but an effective means of meeting patients where they are to provide the best care possible.”
As evidence of Griffith’s commitment to advancing telemedicine, Humphrey pointed to her engagement in discussions with Tennessee state legislators about telehealth policy, her collaboration with Health IT to develop an e-consult workflow within Epic, and her efforts to improve VUMC’s patient satisfaction survey process.
Griffith oversees the Vanderbilt Diabetes Telemedicine Program and works with other VUMC providers to develop telemedicine models in their specialty practice. She was instrumental in the development of a gestational diabetes telemedicine program at VUMC that allows patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes to have routine check-ins with specialists via teleconference calls.
“Delivering specialized diabetes care through telemedicine is an ideal way to improve patient care, increase patient satisfaction and decrease costs,” said Alvin Powers, MD, chief of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism and director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center. “Dr. Griffith has been a leader in bringing this option to our patients, and this recognition of her efforts is well deserved.”
Before joining VUMC, Griffith served as medical director of the Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), before becoming the clinical lead of the Endocrine Telehealth Unit. While at UPMC, she helped develop a successful telemedicine service focused on glycemic management for rural patients.
The South Central Telehealth Resource Center serves health care and health education groups in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee that have an interest in telehealth. It functions primarily through its website, www.learntelehealth.org, in partnership with the UAMS Institute for Digital Health & Innovation.
The Curtis Lowery Jr., MD, Telehealth Champion Award was presented to Griffith at the South Central Telehealth Forum, held recently in Nashville.