Digital Inclusion and Access to Care by Telemedicine

About the Speakers

John Scott, MD, MSc, FIDSA, is a Professor of Medicine (Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) and Chief Digital Health Officer at UW Medicine.  He graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Human Biology, attended Georgetown University School of Medicine cum laude, completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Stanford University Hospitals, and then obtained sub-specialty training in Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington.  He joined the University of Washington faculty in 2005.

In 2009, he launched Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) in Washington State, the first place to replicate the ECHO model outside of New Mexico.  This innovative telehealth program helps clinicians serving in rural and underserved areas with the evaluation and treatment of common, complex, chronic diseases.  In 2015, he won the Warren Reid Award for excellence in health care for the state of Washington, in recognition of his telehealth work.  He chairs the Washington State Telehealth Collaborative and served on the Telehealth committee for the Infectious Disease Society of America. The Washington State Medical Association recognized him with the Grassroots Advocate Award in 2020 for his work in advocating for policy changes for telemedicine at the state and federal level.

In his role as Chief Digital Health Officer, he is focused on Virtual Care Delivery and developing a robust Digital Front Door to bring together UW Medicine’s existing technologies, apps, and other digital services into a simple, single sign-on platform.

Cindy Jacobs, RN, JD, brings over 30 years of combined legal and health care experience to her role as a regulatory consultant with the ITHS Technology Development Center. As a registered nurse before attending law school, she focused on the clinical specialty of neonatology, including 3 years in an advanced practice role. As an attorney, she has represented and advised health care clients regarding a variety of issues, including telemedicine and other health care technologies, FDA law, HIPAA, reimbursement and related compliance, health care contracting, risk management/professional liability, scope of practice/licensing, informed consent, and product liability. Cindy’s UW roles have included Assistant Attorney General in the UW Attorney General’s Office, Director of Clinical Risk Management for UW Medical Center, and Director of Clinical Projects for the UW School of Medicine. She also continues to teach FDA Law at UW School of Law, which she has done since 2010, along with periodic law student seminars on telemedicine and healthcare clinical compliance. She is a member of the ITHS Drug and Device Advisory Committee.