About 31 telemedicine programs will receive $8.6 million in federal grant money for healthcare programs as part of a wider move by the government in support of telemedicine as a way to help patients see primary care physicians and specialists faster, especially in rural communities.
The rural telemedicine grants are provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as part of an initiative with the ONC Department of Health and Human Services begun in June 2013. As of October 2014, HHS expanded the initiative to doctors, clinics and hospitals caring for rural and poor communities across 13 states: Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Tennessee, Missouri, Montana, Wyoming and Kentucky, according to a statement on the Office of National Coordinator’s website.
Here are some highlights of the Distance Learning and Telehealth Grant recipients.
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Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles received $417,560 to connect it to patients at six remote sites in Guam.
La Paz Regional Hospital won $316,800 to treat cardiology patients in remote parts of the region.
University of Iowa received $498,973 to provide adult, pediatric and geriatric healthcare for patients at 64 remote, rural locations.
Crisfield Clinic in Maryland secured $390,115 to connect two primary care clinics in Crisfield with six remote rural schools
to provide healthcare and community services.
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Munson Medical Center in Michigan will link specialists at the Center with providers in remote locations to treat patients with bleeding disorders. Some of the $217,629 it received will also go towards continuing education.
New York State Office of Mental Health won $219,650 to widen its mental health services for people in need of these services across rural New York.
The Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center received $448,887 to help primary care physicians in 11 remote rural communities treat patients with the Hepatitis C virus, increase awareness of the condition and prevent future cases.
Mountain State Health Alliance will use the $169,200 it received to connect seven rural Appalachian hospitals to specialists at Tennessee’s Johnson City Medical Center. The project is in response to the shortage of healthcare providers and is intended to enhance specialty care for residents of the region.
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