Telehealth - Using Technology to Help Patients
The Challenge
Our state is facing many health care challenges,
especially in rural areas.
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Telemedicine in Action
Dr. Robert Sidbury (left) sits at Children’s Hospital in Seattle
and visits with patient Devyn Gurnard and his father Joseph (on
screen) in East Wenatchee. |
Senator Murray is working with doctors, nurses, patients, and health care
providers to meet these challenges and to ensure the federal government
is a strong partner with Washington state. Technology can help break down
the barriers to care, and that’s why Senator Murray supports telehealth.
Once again she’s working to prevent the Bush Administration from
cutting funding for this promising technology.
What is Telehealth?
Telehealth is a way to expand access to healthcare through technology.
It uses video cameras, computers and high speed Internet connections
to connect doctors with patients who are miles away. Telehealth won’t
replace your local doctor, but it can connect you with doctors and specialists
who are miles away. Telehealth can also be used to coordinate medical
care and to provide doctors with ongoing training.
Benefits of Telehealth
Expanding Access to Health Care -
Telehealth
From the Space Program to
Your Hospital: Telehealth
has a long history in the Pacific Northwest. In the 1960's,
as NASA planned to send men into space, it needed a way
to track the astronauts’ vital signs from thousands
of miles away. NASA turned to hospitals in Washington and
the surrounding states to conduct research on telehealth. |
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makes the best possible medical care much more accessible. For example,
a family in Alaska has a child suffering from a rare heart disorder.
Normally, the child and family would have to travel to Seattle to receive
care from specialists at Seattle’s Children’s Hospital.
Through telehealth, the family could stay in Alaska and connect with
their doctors electronically. Telehealth provides rural residents with
specialized healthcare without having to leave their communities.
Increased Training for Medical Professionals - Telehealth
also makes it easier for health care professionals to receive advanced
training. Many medical providers need to receive ongoing training. Often,
that means leaving their patients to attend training in another city.
With telehealth, doctors can be trained in their own communities, making
it easier for doctors and keeping professionals where they’re
needed most.
Increasing Efficiency - Telehealth can also help boost
efficiency. For example, instead of requiring health care professionals
to attend classes at regional universities, they can learn the latest
techniques and procedures, regardless of location, from the nation’s
best instructors. During the Anthrax scare, the Centers for Disease
Control informed medical professionals across the nation using Washington
state’s telehealth infrastructure.
Challenges To Overcome
Distributing the Technology - One challenge is getting
the technology in the hands of providers. Too often, the technology
does not reach those who would benefit most from it.
Educating Patients and Providers - Not many people
know about telehealth and what it can and can’t provide. We need
to help educate patients and providers about the benefits of telehealth.
Training - Medical providers need be trained to use
telehealth. One solution is to encourage medical schools to include
telehealth training in their curriculum.
Reimbursement - At the federal level, there are several
reimbursement questions that need to be answered. For example, if a
doctor in New York provides care to a patient in Washington state through
telehealth: should the New York doctor or the Washington state medical
center receive payment? These questions need to be answered at the federal
level.