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Attention, Tennessee Physicians
"e-Health is an emerging field in the intersection of medical informatics, public health and business, referring to health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies. In a broader sense, the term characterizes not only a technical development, but also a state-of-mind, a way of thinking, an attitude, and a commitment for networked, global thinking, to improve health care locally, regionally, and worldwide by using information and communication technology."
It's time to put the power of the Internet to work for your patients through a high-speed, broadband connection. These services are available at state negotiated rates and in every Tennessee county. You may even qualify for funding to cover the first year.
Today, there are six eHealth activities that specifically benefit from broadband:
- Electronic Medical Records The collection, communication, storage, indexing and access to patient data.
- Clinical eHealth The collection, communication, storage, indexing and access to patient data.
- Evidence Based Medicine Aimed primarily at health care professionals, this service delivers information on appropriate treatment under certain patient conditions so that the professional can determine whether a diagnosis is in line with current scientific research.
- Consumer medical and health information Consumers are able to use the Internet to obtain specialized health information and on-line discussion groups to provide peer-to-peer support.
- Medical education The use of online medical education for health professionals and special medical education seminars for targeted groups in remote locations.
- Virtual healthcare teams . The creation of teams of healthcare professionals who collaborate and share information on patients through digital equipment (for transmutable care).
Broadband offers five delivery mechanisms in support of these activities:
- Advanced network services These include both dedicate high-speed lines and connections and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). Networks link tertiary care hospitals and clinics with outlying clinics and community health centers in rural or suburban areas. Studies by the several agencies within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and private vendors place the number of existing telemedicine networks in the United States at roughly 200. These programs involve close to 2,000 medical institutions throughout the country. Of these programs, it is estimated that about half (100) are actively providing patient care services on a daily basis. The others are only occasionally used for patient care and are primarily for administrative or educational use.
- Point-to-point connections Using private networks, hospitals and clinics deliver services directly or contract out specialty services to independent medical service providers at ambulatory care sites. Radiology, mental health and even intensive care services are being provided under contract using telemedicine to deliver the services.
- Network to End-User Connections Primary or specialty care to the home involves connecting primary care providers, specialists and home health nurses with patients over broadband video systems for interactive clinical consultations.
- Home to monitoring center links Specialized broadband applications are used for cardiac, pulmonary or fetal monitoring, home care and related services that provide care to patients in the home.
- Web-based e-health patient service sites These provide direct consumer outreach and services over the Internet. Under telemedicine, these include those sites that provide direct patient care.
What is TNII eHealth?
Tennessee is at the forefront of the movement to deliver better health care by utilizing information technology. The Tennessee Information Infrastructure (TNII) is making it possible for you and your colleagues to safely and securely share patient data, no matter the location of your practice.
TNII is an award-winning broadband Internet network. It is powered by AT&T and serviced by AT&T network managers. TNII is available to any health care provider in any of Tennessee’s 95 counties. And with state negotiated prices, you can benefit from the same purchasing power a large hospital or state agency would have. TNII will allow you to spend resources on your patients, not on IT staff.
You may qualify for state funding to cover the cost of TNII eHealth for one year.
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