Access to emergency medical services (EMS) for both rural and urban patients is hampered by an overstressed healthcare workforce. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis and an aging population, many people are best served through “hospital at home” medical care or specialized in-patient units as they do not need the resources of an emergency room or hospital. A versatile, mobile health workforce provides a scalable solution that can be grown out of the already existing EMS infrastructure and education pathways. A one-to-many approach, Telemedicine-at-Scale, in which a single expert is on hand for many, possibly simultaneously occurring, field healthcare events may be a viable solution. However, there is still a critical need to identify the challenges and opportunities of implementing Telemedicine-at-Scale in order to build the next generation of systems that take advantage of new technological breakthroughs and design educational pathways to expand the workforce.

This two-day, virtual workshop brings together prominent emergency healthcare leaders, researchers and educators, telemedicine system designers, and health economists to explore perspectives on the practical, educational, and financial challenges of implementing telemedicine in EMS and potential directions for innovation. The workshop consists of multiple keynote speakers, discussion panels, and breakout sessions.