Is it just me, or is there more news popping up every day about advantageous applications of telehealth? This story, from the front page of the Star Tribune on Feb. 26 gives a look into the operations of the VA Midwest Health Care Network’s recently opened Tele-ICU regional “hub”. Nicknamed the VA’s “eye in the sky,” the center serves as a control room from which trained critical care nurses and intensivists monitor patients in seven regional hospitals across the Midwest, including Minneapolis (MN), Fargo (ND), Omaha (NE), Iowa City (IA), Des Moines (IA), Fort Meade (SD), and Sioux Falls (SD). Among the principal advantages noted by nurses and doctors from the center, the Tele-ICU hub allows an increased number of patients to be monitored at once, reduces the need to transfer frail patients to alternate locations, and gives smaller care systems 24/7 access expert advice for complex cases.
Click here to read the Star Tribune article: “Remote ‘eye in the sky’ keeping tabs on VA hospital patients” or find more information through the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
Telemedicine featured in Sunday’s Star Tribune
This weekend, telemedicine made it into the Twin Cities’ Star Tribune paper, with a full page spread in the business section titled “Tele-medicine taking off”. The article, written by Jackie Crosby, highlights local physician Dr. Greg Smith, his confidence in the future of telemedicine services, and the online care service Consult A Doctor, where he serves as the chief medical officer. Consult A Doctor, which is one of a growing number of online consultation platforms, operates solely through telecommunication technologies (phone, email, videoconference), allowing patients to connect with providers 24 hours a day to resolve basic health complaints. According to the article, Consult A Doctor has performed over 200,000 consultations in the past six years, and is being increasingly adopted by employers and travel insurance agencies. The article also highlights several other Minnesota based online consultation services including Virtuwell (provided by HealthPartners), and American Well (provided by BCBS Minnesota, UnitedHealth Group, Medtronic).
To read the full article, ”Tele-medicine taking off”, click here.
Telemedicine Bill Being Drafted in Washington
In a story published earlier this month on the Government Health IT site, it was announced that Sen. Tom Udall (New Mexico) plans to propose a bill this spring to streamline licensure for physicians practicing telemedicine. The bill, which would allow physicians to connect to patients in multiple states without needing to apply for separate licenses, has the potential to reduce barriers for patients seeking telemedicine services, and widen the reach of practicing physicians. The Federation of State Medical Boards, which has raised concerns with the proposed changes, is in conversation with Senator Udall to modify the bill.
Locally, a bill recently proposed in Minnesota by DFL Representative Kim Norton (Rochester, MN) aims to allow similar flexibility in licensure for Minnesota nurses practicing telemedicine in other states by allowing their participation in the Nursing License Compact.
As Information Technology networks grow and strengthen, so do the possibilities for telemedicine services. These bills could be an important step in recognizing those possibilities, a change that would benefit patients and providers alike.
To read the full article and find more information on Senator Udall’s bill, click here.
Teledentistry eases pain for hockey player
I have been encouraging my dentist for years to become a teledentist. He always came up with the “excuse” that dentistry is more like surgery where you really have to have the patient present to provide the needed care. I would always respond to him “yes, but, there are several parts of the examination that can be done at a distance”. Last week, while visiting my dentist for “bridge work,” unexpectedly, he informed me that he had just performed his first teledentistry visit over the weekend with a hockey player! Although, I couldn’t say anything or react to the surprising news (he was working on my mouth at the time) I was trully overjoyed. I thought “well, my persistence in convincing him to do teledentistry, finally paid off.”
So, here is how the story goes: One of my dentist’s patient’s son was playing hockey over the weekend and got hit with a hockey stick in the mouth and two of his teeth were knocked out. The player and his family had some quick decisions to make; call their dentist on his cellular phone or go to the ER. They chose to call their dentist. After a minute or so of discussion about the problem, the dentist asked if they had a smartphone to take a couple of pictures with and send them to him. They did! They sent him a text message with a couple images of the hockey player’s mouth with the two missing teeth. These pictures gave the dentist enough information to provide the family with an immediate medical advice and suggested treatment. The dentist said “The picture was exactly what I needed to make the evaluation, and, although this cannot provide the same results as a face-to-face visit where you can palpate someone’s mouth , this picture solved a big part of the puzzle!” The family was extremely pleased with the outcome of their teledentistry visit. Not only did they not have to go to the ER to wait for hours and receive care from a provider who is not a dentist, they got the care immediately from their own dentist!
Although, a face-to-face visit to the dentist is the method that we all have been accustomed to because it’s reimbursed by insurance and it’s covered by regulatory policies, this story shows how telehealth, in general, can be integrated into our daily lives and how easy, inexpensive and most importantly valuable, can be.
NRHA Recognizes Nebraska Senator
This afternoon, the NRHA recognized Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson as a Rural Health Hero. Unfortunately, Senator Nelson is planning to retire at the end of his current term. We will certainly miss him as a rural health advocate.
Rural Health invades DC
Today the 23rd Annual Rural Health Policy Institute kicked off today in Washington, DC. We heard an overview from Secretary Sebelius and from HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield. (Who NRHA President, Lance Keilers, described as rural health’s BFF!)
The speaker from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, Dr. Nancy Nielsen, shared a connection from the President’s State of the Union speech… “Technology makes some jobs more efficient…and other jobs obsolete.” It directly referrenced manufacturing…but can easily apply to healthcare as well. It will be important for us all to prepare for the personnel needs and changes that HIT brings.
Another concern she raised was that medical expenses are the/a main cause of personal bankruptcy. We need to continue to provide care in a more cost-effective manner. It is my thought that telemedicine/telehealth plays a very important role in accomplishing this goal. She shared that, on average, the income for a family of four increased $23,000 over the past decade…and that all but $85 of that increase has gone to pay for healthcare. This was a startling statistic!
If Dr. Nielsen is an indication of the quality of speakers at this meeting, it will certainly be an interesting few days!
Using Telehealth to Improve Time Management
Here is an article published recently in the December HealthLeaders magazine. It highlights the role that telemedicine services can play in better managing physicians’ time, the use of telemedicine in an ACO, the role telemedicine can play in the overall strategic direction for the organization, and other benefits. It will be exciting to see how this project grows as they expand it out of the pilot phase.
Addressing PTSD in Nebraska
This story, out of Lincoln, Nebraska, highlights how telehealth technologies can be utilized to provide support and assistance to our combat veterans living in the more rural areas of our country and dealing with PTSD. It is great that the VA has developed an appreciation for telehealth and how it can assist those they serve. The VA has long been a user of telehealth and it will be even more exciting when clients like Mr. Clark can utilize the telehealth technologies right in his own home of Kearney (where technology is currently available) instead of having to drive even over to Grand Island, let alone Lincoln.
Click here to read the whole story.
Have a cold? Try a Zip visit!
Most of us having a cold is something common or normal, expecially living in one of the northern states, like Minnesota! And, most of us, try to “fight it” by getting advice from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc… I am one of these people! Recently, after catching a cold and coughing, sneezing and feeling misearable for 2 days, I decided to try Zipnosis! Zipnosis is an on-line service which provides diagnosis and treatment for common illneses, like a cold, in minutes! And, the beauty is, that you can do this from anywhere…home, office, on the road, on vacation..you name it, you don’t have to travel anywhere to see advice from a healthcare provider! You will need a computer and access to the internet, of course. Thanks to Zipnosis, I didn’t have to suffer for more than 2 days! Give it a try next time you need a quick answer to a common illness www.zipnosis.com
gpTRAC website revised…come take a new look!
gpTRAC is excited to announce that we have recently gone through a significant revision of our website. We hope that our newly revised site will be easier to navigate (for you) and easier to update (for us). We are interested to learn what you think. Click here to take a look!