Broadband connectivity is transforming America’s health care system, creating better, faster, and more cost-effective health care across the country. The sector represents almost 18 percent of the nation’s GDP, and increased efficiency has the power to lower costs, create better results for patients, and trigger economic growth. At the January 31 Open Commission Meeting, Julius Knapp, Chief of the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology and Linda Oliver from the Wireline Competition Bureau delivered an update on the Commission’s work to support wireless and wireline connectivity for health, including the new Healthcare Connect Fund and the FCC’s ongoing work to expand ...
If recent headlines are any indication, telehealth is becoming more of a priority for several states throughout the nation of late. In Mississippi, for instance, state legislators approved a bill last week that would allow insurance companies to reimburse physicians who consult with rural doctors using telemedicine, The Commercial Appeal reported. State Rep. Charles Busby, a Republican, told the newspaper that the cost for installing telemedicine equipment for facilities in the state is down to roughly $12,000 per facility, from a high of $40,000. According to the newspaper, rural providers who have used telehealth to work with specialists to ...
Published: June 6, 2012Author: hcureton An important message from the Health Resources and Services Administration on a funding opportunity for community programs targeting rural health disparities: The 2012 funding opportunity announcement is now available for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Community Transformation Grants (CTG) – Small Communities Program. CTG funds support local and state government agencies as well as community-based organizations in the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence-based community health activities in order to reduce chronic disease rates, prevent the development of secondary conditions, address health disparities, and develop ...
TeleConnect Georgia for Better Health To address poor health and lack of high quality health care in rural Georgia communities, Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth is proposing a training and outreach program for residents and healthcare providers to improve health and healthcare delivery in the state’s 91 designated “counties of persistent poverty.” Leveraging the strengths of state government agencies, the private sector, and educational and nonprofit organizations, the project proposes targeted outreach to economically vulnerable populations including African American and Hispanic communities, low-income residents, senior citizens, and at-risk youth to address poor health and lack of high quality health care. The project plans ...
Dean Douglas was skeptical at first about a doctor diagnosing his 10-year-old great-nephew from hundreds of miles away via a large flat-screen video monitor — unable to touch him or even be in the same room. Dr. Michael McConnell at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta checks in with Justin Smith, 10, and Justin’s mother, Marletti Guest, via video from the Tifton Regional Hospital in South Georgia. Telemedicine allows doctors and nurses to virtually examine patients. Phil Skinner pskinner@ajc.com Dr. Michael McConnell at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta checks in with Justin Smith, ...
The National School of Applied TeleHealth (NSAT) is proud to announce the launch of the first of many telehealth certifications. NSAT will deliver standardized, accredited telehealth education online at http://www.nationalschoolofappliedtelehealth.com. These online NSAT Telemedicine / Telehealth Certification courses will instruct on the essentials of telehealth and prepare individuals to become valuable members of a telehealth team. The following are the initial certifications to be offered: Certified TeleMedicine Clinical Presenter (available DEC 2, 2011) Certified TeleMedicine Coordinator (Spring 2012) Certified TeleHealth Liaison (Spring 2012) The Certified TeleMedicine Clinical Presenter (CTCP) Certification is designed so that its graduates will have the skills to correctly ...
Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth (GPT) is very pleased to welcome Jeffrey P. Kesler, PsyD as its new COO. Dr. Kesler brings a comprehensive level of telemedicine understanding and experience to one of the most robust telemedicine networks in the nation. In addition to overseeing the daily operations of GPT, Dr. Kesler will also play a key leadership role in the development and expansion of services into Alabama. Dr. Kesler has over 20 years of broad clinical and operational experience. He has been responsible for strategic and tactical leadership in the behavioral health domain for the two largest correctional medical companies in ...
In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that using "telestroke," two-way audio-video telemedicine to deliver stroke care, appears to be cost-effective for rural hospitals that don't have an around-the-clock neurologist on staff (Neurology,Sept. 14, 2011). "In an era of spiraling health care costs, our findings give critical information to medical policy-makers," said Jennifer Majersik, MD, of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City. "If barriers to using telestroke - such as low reimbursement rates and high equipment costs - are improved, telestroke has the potential to greatly diminish the striking disparity in stroke care ...
Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth (GPT) is pleased to announce a new relationship with Amerigroup Community Care of Georgia. This collaborative relationship between one of the leading telehealth coordinators in the nation will provide all Amerigroup members with access to more than 40 specialties that can be delivered via telemedicine and continue the GPT mission to connect healthcare to all of Georgia. “Amerigroup understands the use of telemedicine is key to getting access to health care specialists and providers in rural Georgia,” GPT CEO Paula Guy said. “This partnership shows their commitment to get efficient, high-quality and cost-effective care ...
WAYCROSS, Ga. & WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sep 20, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Americans living in a region of the southeastern United States known as the "Stroke Belt" are known to have a 15 percent higher risk of stroke and suffer stroke mortality that is 30 to 40 percent higher than the rest of the nation. One of the significant reasons the Southeast is burdened with such high incidence of stroke and stroke-related death is inadequate access to immediate intervention. Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth (GPT) and Specialists On Call (SOC) are partnering to create a 24/7/365 emergency teleneurology network to bridge this ...
