Telemedicine

In rural Alabama, a telemedicine grant from RUS is supporting a system that provides health care and distance learning to some of the nation’s most isolated communities. The system links four hospital sites located in rural Alabama counties to the University of Alabama’s Interactive Instructional Telecommunications System. The system also links the university’s campuses at Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville. As a result, more than 90,000 people in these four counties are now enjoying medical services that “come to them” via telecommunications technologies.

In Montana, the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network (EMTN) grew from a network of five hospitals to an association of 11 sites. Now, these 11 sites also are connected to others across the U.S. and around the world, establishing an international presence.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Medical Center initiated its telemedicine practice in 1995. Since then, electronic visits to the Center’s patients have increased by 178 percent per year. Dr. Sam Burgiss, who heads the UT Telemedicine Network, says “Having the correct level of medicine at the correct time minimizes the cost of care. Telemedicine is a method that provides access to the correct level of care at the correct time.”

The UT Telemedicine Network offers clinics in dermatology, anesthesiology, psychiatry, surgery, cardiology, neurology, and gastroenterology. And, here’s the astonishing news -- 68 percent of the patients who use the UT Telemedicine Network rate “seeing the doctor” via telemedicine as better than a traditional office visit. Why? Because patients report that the attention of the care provider appears to be more focused. Could it be that a medium that forces a physician to look and talk directly into a monitor also succeeds in creating a better “message” for folks on the receiving end?

Health-Care Surprises

Telemedicine is changing the culture of medicine. In the past, rural healthcare providers often worked in a vacuum, forced to make hard decisions alone. Telemedicine capability means that rural physicians can now consult with “teams” of skilled healthcare professionals located far away. Rural healthcare providers are no longer going it alone. And, for patients burdened by chronic illnesses, this “team approach” offers access to extended resources that may transform their lives.

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In rural Alabama, a telemedicine grant from RUS is supporting a system that provides health care and distance learning to some of the nation’s most isolated communities. The system links four hospital sites located in rural Alabama counties to the University of Alabama’s Interactive Instructional Telecommunications System. The system also links the university’s campuses at Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and Huntsville. As a result, more than 90,000 people in these four counties are now enjoying medical services that “come to them” via telecommunications technologies.

In Montana, the Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network (EMTN) grew from a network of five hospitals to an association of 11 sites. Now, these 11 sites also are connected to others across the U.S. and around the world, establishing an international presence.

The University of Tennessee (UT) Medical Center initiated its telemedicine practice in 1995. Since then, electronic visits to the Center’s patients have increased by 178 percent per year. Dr. Sam Burgiss, who heads the UT Telemedicine Network, says “Having the correct level of medicine at the correct time minimizes the cost of care. Telemedicine is a method that provides access to the correct level of care at the correct time.”