Telemedicine Acceleration

Health-e-Access

Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. was started as the sustainability component to support the nationally known Health-e-Access Program (HEA).  HEA was started in January 2001 as a grant funded research project out of the Golisano Children's Hospital of the University of Rochester's Medical Center by physicians.  HEA is Tel-e-Atrics largest customer and was vitally important in providing insight into the development of the telemedicine platform.  The goal of the research project was to provide better quality healthcare services for the economically disadvantaged and underserved communities in Rochester, NY by providing a telemedicine solution for children in daycare centers and schools.  The object was to facilitate the patient and phycician relationship and try to connect the patient directly with their PCP if possible.

Over the past 5 years the program has continue to grow and now includes schools and daycare centers in both urban and suburban areas.  There is a total of 10 childcare centers (6 urban, 4 suburban) and 8 elementary schools (6 city, 2 suburban) in the program.  There is 10 physician offices with just under 30 doctors supporting these sites.  HEA has conducted over 3,600 visits at this point in time.  The program has been a fantastic success and many of the results are documented in an article that was published in the PEDIATRICS Journal.

Results to Date:

• 63 % Reduction in Absence Due to Illness,
• In a survey, parents indicated 91 % of telemedicine visits allowed them to stay at work,
• 94 % of telemedicine visits would have led to office or emergency department visits,
• 96 % of patients were diagnosed and treated successfully by telemedicine,
• In a survey, parents indicated a 98 % satisfaction rating

There have been a number of benefits to the patients, the schools or daycare, and the community as a whole with respect to HEA program here in Rochester, NY. 

Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. provides the infrastructure to allow the HEA program to operate.  If you are interested in learning more about the technology or the HEA program please let me know.

Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. Company Information

Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. was created to enable effective Telehealth (often called Telemedicine) visits between healthcare providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, etc.) and their patients, located at some remote distance between the two parties. Telehealth encompasses diagnosis, treatment, and information exchange between a healthcare professional and a patient through the use of telecommunications and information technology.

Tel-e-Atrics, Inc. provides a unique integrated telemedicine package of processes, training, software, and computer services to support personal and effective healthcare, using the expanding capabilities of the Internet.

Our products are in daily use, tying together daycare centers, schools, group homes and camps with their healthcare providers such as doctors, nursing support staff and hospital facilities. The Tel-e-Atrics Connect^TM solution has been used to carry out thousands of successful virtual office visits.

 Download teleatrics_overview.ppt

Grant Sources

Up until this point in time a significant portion of telemedicine programs have been funded by grants.  Grants will always play an important role in telemedicine and if the funding is available it makes sense to leverage it. 

Some grant sources that Tel-e-Atrics has used or is aware of are as follows:

• Telemedicine Funding Links
• Telehealth Funding Guide
• NIH Telemedicine Opportunities
• Aetna Foundation

Tel-e-Atrics provides the infrastructure for the Nationally renowned Health-e-Access program.   This program has  leveraged significant grant sources to get their network up and operational. 

As new grant resources are uncovered and used they will be posted and discussed on this blog.  If there are resources that are not listed that you are aware of please let us know.

Telemedicine Market Transformation

Telemedicine has been around in various forms since the mid 80's.  Technology has significantly improved over that past 10 years but there are still a number of barriers that have to be overcome before it is readily accepted by the overall mass market.  In any growing / advancing new marketplaces there are the obvious issues that need to be addressed of educating and training the marketplace on the benefits, operations, and situations to use the technology.  In addition to these issues there are 2 main barriers that need to be addressed before telemedicine is accepted by the masses. 
1.  Funding - traditionally telemedicine programs have been grant funded.  To transform this market telemedicine needs to move from the grant supported arena to an economic justified sustainable business model.
2.  Reimbursement - Telemedicine needs to reach a critical mass of acceptance from both private 3rd party payers and federal medicare and medicaid programs. 

A significant portion of this blog will be dedicated to addressing these two barriers, discussing the current situation, and what needs to be addressed in the future from all parties interested in seeing this technology continue to grow.