Health Care Management & Policy Alumnus Writes Book on ‘Digital Health Technologies’

October 8, 2021 – Robert L. Longyear III (NHS’19), a health care management & policy alumnus, has authored the new book Virtual Care Blueprint: How Digital Health Technologies Can Improve Health Outcomes, Patient Experience, and Cost-Effectiveness. 

The work was published last month by Productivity Press, which is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group. (Visit the book’s website.)   

Longyear said he focused on producing the work based on his experiences running Avenue Health, a company he co-founded that provides “remote-patient monitoring (RPM) and virtual care services.”

“I quickly realized that there were few reliable resources for health care organizations and policymakers about the topics of RPM and virtual care despite the dramatic growth of these care models,” he said. “During COVID-19, the need for RPM and other telehealth services grew quickly, and, now, policymakers and health care organizations are looking at how to craft their programs for the future.” 

Research and Perspectives

“Everything out there is housed in marketing materials, so a more objective resource could be quite helpful,” he explained.

To develop the book, Longyear analyzed and reviewed existing clinical and economic literature, as well as gathered insights from experts using interview methods.

“The book contains a robust review of the clinical, economic, and patient-centered research on the topics of telehealth, RPM, and virtual care, generally, as well as frontline perspectives on these care models with the goal of supporting the continued development of these programs across the country,” he said.

Also the author of Innovating for Wellness: Bridging the Gap between Health System and Patient (2020), Longyear noted his second book “is more focused and scientific than his broader first book.” 

Georgetown Foundation

Longyear said his Georgetown education helped develop the foundation for his professional activity over the past two-plus years.

“HCMP provided me with the tools to understand clinical and policy research, helped me form my interests in the space, and launched me into my first job in health care,” he said.

In particular, the alumnus highlighted the work he did for his honors thesis during senior year, a project that looked at “Medicaid Accountable Care Organizations and the challenges these new payment models face.”

As it relates to the new publication, Longyear explained, “The book focuses on technology-enhanced models of chronic disease care that can help new value-based payment organizations meet the goals of their contracts and drive better patient outcomes.”

By Bill Cessato