The South Carolina Telehealth Alliance (SCTA) was awarded the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) President’s Award for Transformation of Health Care Delivery during the ATA Annual Conference held recently in New Orleans.

The ATA President’s Award for the Transformation of Healthcare Delivery recognizes the leadership of an organization that incorporates virtual health care services as part of an initiative resulting in improved health care quality and value for a large population of patients. 

The SCTA is a statewide collaboration of many organizations that have joined forces to expand telehealth services across the state of South Carolina. Led by the SCTA Advisory Council, it provides guidance, assists with strategic development, and advises on technology and standards. The SCTA was formed with founding strategic providers, Greenville Health, McLeod Health, Medical University of South Carolina and Palmetto Health, providing telehealth care services.

SCTA Advisory Council co-chairs, Kathy Schwarting, MHA, Palmetto Care Connections chief executive officer, and James McElligott, MD, MSCR, MUSC Center for Telehealth medical director, accepted the award along with representatives from SC Area Health Education Consortium, SC Department of Mental Health, SCTA, McLeod Health, MUSC Health, Palmetto Care Connections and Prisma Health.

“This award recognizes that SCTA is a national leader in statewide telehealth collaboration,” said Schwarting, “and it’s a testament to the great work that is being done to improve access to health care for all South Carolinians.”

ATA cited that the SCTA has “demonstrated exceptional character, leadership along with continued service to the association and telehealth industry.” 

“The winners of this year’s awards are doing amazing work and it’s wonderful to see the innovation and transformation that is happening in the telehealth field,” said Laurie Poole, Vice President, Clinical Innovation at the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) and Chair of the ATA Awards Committee.

Consideration for this award included: the impact on the population served such as special needs groups; academic peer-reviewed research and presentations; targeted education programs; number of telehealth sites; business case or business model; long-term sustainability; and effective partnerships and collaboration.