NEWS — MARCH 2004
TELEHEALTH & TELEMEDICINE
Alaskan Telehealth System Provides Sophisticated Medical Care...
The March 2004 issue of Health Management Technology (www.healthmgttech.com) offers an in-depth look at how residents in isolated northwest Alaskan villages receive health care services. The ConnectMD network from General Communications Inc. (Anchorage AK) spans a road-less geographic area above the Arctic Circle that's home to approximately 7,600 individuals. The pooled resources of the Maniilaq Association serves the needs of the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska, which includes 11 remote villages and 12 tribes. Telemedicine technology in each clinic within the Borough includes digital imaging and record sharing capabilities, as well as videoconferencing for real-time consultations.
King Hussein Cancer Center in Jordan Incorporates Telemedicine...
In a technology demonstration that took place in late February, a patient in the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, was "seen" by consulting physicians located in St. Luke's Hospital (Dublin, Ireland). In addition to providing access to state-of-the-art care, the telemedicine system will encourage collaboration among cancer specialists, along with medical education and training opportunities. The network will connect selected sites in Jordan, the Middle East, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States. A cooperative agreement was established between the King Hussein Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute (NCI; Washington DC) in September 2002 that relies upon the NCI's TELESYNERGY telemedicine system.
Marshfield Telehealth Network Receives Grant Funding...
With $85,590 from a Universal Service Fund grant, the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (Wisconsin) will expand its current telehealth network with ten more provider sites. New equipment purchases will include otoscopes and video workstations. Live video allows physicians to conduct consultations and virtual examinations for patients in prisons and rural schools.
A New Telemedicine Service Market Estimate...
A February 2004 report from the Commerce Department (Washington DC) suggests that $380.0 million will be spent on telemedicine services in the United States this year, out of an estimated $71.0 billion that's expended nationwide. This estimate represents addition of a 2000 market figure of $119.0 million for "videoconferencing" from Frost & Sullivan (Mt. View CA) with a 1999 "worldwide video-based home care, telemedicine, and teleradiology" market figure of $172.0 million from Feedback Research Services. More recent revenue estimates are not readily available.
Although telehealth technology continues to be an innovative choice in the private sector, deployment in public programs has generally been limited to demonstration projects. Three major impediments to wider implementation of telemedicine include an absence of definitive cost savings, lack of reimbursement by third-party payers, and restrictive medical licensure requirements that restrict service provision across state lines.
University Hospitals Home Care Services Selects American Medical Alert...
As the largest home health agency in Ohio, University Hospitals Home Care Services (UHHCS; Cleveland) meets the needs of an estimated 14,000 patients in 17 counties. With new telehealth monitoring solutions from American Medical Alert Corporation (Oceanside NY), one goal is to stretch medical resources to provide "best possible" patient care. Easy-to-use equipment is an important component, along with the iCare Desktop to enable quick access to care management information and support for long-term health monitoring.
The Visiting Nurses Associations' Telehealth Success Story...
Interactive video technology enables medical staff at the Visiting Nurse Association Of Somerset Hills in Bernardsville (New Jersey) to remotely monitor patients in their homes. Using standard telephone lines, nurses track vital signs to help patients with chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure avoid hospitalization. Twice-a-week video "visits" can identify problems so that medication adjustments or other interventions can be easily implemented. Telehealth offers an ideal way to care for patients at home. In addition to helping older patients live independently, the VNA's program can assist new mothers and post-operative patients who need sophisticated levels of care. Education and caregiver support are additional benefits that are delivered via telehealth technology.
An alternative monitoring option involves simple devices that record patient responses to specific questions. The data is transmitted to centralized health care stations that are monitored by nursing staff. That's the kind of system used at Baptist Trinity Home Care/Hospice (Memphis TN). Nationally, statistical data has demonstrated health improvement and reduced hospitalizations using this kind of equipment.
