Dear George:
You brought up an interesting subject. I attend comunication trade shows
2x a year and I have seen the prices drop of both software and hardware
drop while the technology improves. I have seen telemedicine surgery
through diagnosing of patients, all done at distance. We live in a time
period when our technology is moving quite fast.
The technology you brought up is definatly here to stay.
Take care.
Henry Guttentag [log in to unmask]
George Lussier wrote:
>
> Dear reader/listener,
> Don't touch that dial!! This is a serious posting.And TV or
> Teleconferencing or Telemedicine
> may be part of the answer but first we have to know how we wish to define
> the problem. Before we get to that I want to tell you how impressed I was
> with the quality of responses to the idea of a partnership with our HCPs
> and especially how much I was impressed with the words spoken by Rita
> Weeks. they were, to me, powerful, most notable the verse of 12/4.
>
> And now to more carefully define our problem.
> Does it have to do with the total absence of qualifed HCPs in a
> certain geographical area?
>
> Does it have to do with the total absence of certain
> specialities such as in neurology or "movement
> disorder" or physical therapy etc?
> OR does it have to do with the competence of a particular
> Individual HCP who may be the only "game in town" The big question here is
> who is calling the HCP noncompetent.If it is some state or professional
> organization/agency that may have at least a little clout then we may be
> able to access certain services.
> THe general idea is that a patient may be evaluated by a specialist
> many miles away by using teleconferencing/telemedicine technology. What it
> would take is :
> The patient
> The equipment and some one to run it [although
> there are certain functions a
> patient may control themselves]
>
> The MD or technical person to run the show at the
> patient location.
> The specialist at the other end.[Please no
> Proctologist's jokes]
>
> I've begun a review of the literature and found, as I scratched the
> surface, some encouraging news.For example, in Washigton state a
> telecommunication link has been established between Yakima Valley
> Radiologists and Prosser Memorial Hospital which allows Yakima V.R.
> radiologist's to interpret tests and direct exams done at Prosser M.H. from
> their Yakima office 55 miles down the road.
>
> In Pennsylvania a telemedicine system using video- and
> audio-conferencing allows cardiologists, radiologists and NEUROSURGEONS
> {Caps mine] to conduct a remote evaluation of patients who are at rural
> hospitals many miles away.Hospitals participating include Hershey M.C.,
> Temple Univ. Hosp.in Phil. and the Univ. of Pittsburg M.C.
>
> A third and final example involves the Medical College of Georgia is
> {1994] installing an interactive two way television hook -up that will
> enable physicians to examine patients in their homes and in nursing
> homes.The Medical College will be part of a network that will link 58
> medical facilities around the state [including Emory Univ Hosp.]
>
> Interesting?? I can think of many questions we may have including
> physician choice and who pays what to whom? But as a first cut what do you
> think??
>
> My very best,
> george [[log in to unmask]]
> NTGAE
>
> [log in to unmask]
