St. Luke’s Hospital recently received a $155,000 grant from The Duke Endowment to establish telemedicine services for rural Western North Carolina in partnership with Western North Carolina Telemedicine Consultants Inc. (WNCTC).
The Western North Carolina Telemedicine Program will be carried out in cooperation with Polk County and the City of Saluda governments and in collaboration with private community clinics, public health clinics, area fire departments, emergency response services and other healthcare providers for the provision of preventive care, physical health assessments, diagnostic services and treatment.
With the financial assistance of The Duke Endowment, St. Luke’s Hospital and WNCTC will work to improve access to and the quality of rural healthcare in the region. Through the use of telemedicine, rural clinics not currently staffed by full-time physicians will be able to provide immediate access to quality healthcare by supplementing their medical personnel with other available network practitioners. EMS and fire departments will be able to consult directly with hospital EDs or physicians on call.
Patient data can be exchanged through the use of standardized telemedicine equipment and Electronic Medical Records (EMRs). With high-definition video telehealth systems, doctors can examine and discuss patients and cases “in person” from miles away. Physicians can easily access patients in hard-to-reach places, including isolated areas with a shortage of primary care practitioners or specialists.
The Western North Carolina Telemedicine program will be the first of its kind in rural western North Carolina to:
• Use new technology to improve access to and the quality of rural healthcare in the area
• Use telemedicine to foster collaboration among hospitals, community clinics, fire and EMS providers
• Provide a new preventive and diagnostic model that will reduce healthcare costs
• Serve as a model of collaboration and the use of new technologies in the provision of rural healthcare
• Foster the sustained development of a local, integrated medical service infrastructure.
For additional information, contact Joe Crowder at 828-894-2693.
– article submitted
by Jennifer Wilson