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Feb 24, 2005
Upper
Peninsula hemodialysis patients to benefit
from telemedicine services
Telemedicine
services currently offered through the Upper
Peninsula Telehealth Network (UPTN) at Marquette General Health System
will be implemented at three outlying hemodialysis units
throughout the Upper Peninsula. |
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A $176,421
telemedicine grant from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a
U.S. Department of Agriculture distance learning and
telemedicine grant program, made this breakthrough possible.
Telemedicine dialysis services
are now offered in the Iron
County Community Hospital
dialysis unit in Crystal Falls.
"We were extremely fortunate to receive the RUS grant that allows
us to make this happen,” said Susan Makela, director of
telehealth at Marquette General. “This equipment will be
utilized for patient healthcare assessments, patient education,
and remote
dialysis
practitioner education, as well as staff meetings between MGH
and the dialysis unit.”
In addition to the UPTN dialysis news, Medicare recently announced
that telemedicine is now a reimbursable service for End Stage
Renal Disease (ESRD) patients.
"Telemedicine technology is used by healthcare providers for many
reasons, including increased cost efficiency, reduced transportation
expenses, improved patient access to specialists and mental health
providers, improved quality of care, and better communication
among providers,” Medicare said in a recent statement on their
website.
"This was a two-fold victory for dialysis patients and practitioners,” Makela
said. “Dialysis patients can now receive their health care
locally, and Medicare has provided the reimbursement to make
it a sustainable process.”
Telemedicine — live interactive audio and visual transmission
of a physician-patient encounter from one site to another using
telecommunications technologies — has been a staple at
Marquette General and partnering Upper Peninsula hospitals for
more than
10 years. Telemedicine allows patients to go to their medical
appointments without traveling to specialists, saving time and
money while increasing
efficiency. It also provides health professionals with increased
access to continuing education programs.
Since its inception, the UPTN has grown from an eight-site network
providing 275 annual events to a 28-site network managing more
than 6,000 connections annually. It serves the entire Upper Peninsula
by providing clinical telemedicine for patients and professional
education for healthcare providers. A large number of healthcare
systems in the Upper Peninsula utilize its services.
For more information on the UPTN, call 225-3018 or 1-800-562-9753,
ext. 3018; or access it on the web at www.mgh.org/telehealth/index.html.
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