Telemed at Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin
Telemed quick hits: Of course it was in the federal stimulus bill; Planned Parenthoods in CA/UT up next; On guard MN
•Telemed funding is in the federal stimulus bill. From the Telemedicine Information Exchange, February 19, 2009:
Specific telemedicine spending in final stimulus bill: The recently passed $787 billion economic stimulation bill includes $19 billion for health information technology. Specific for telemedicine, it will provide... $1.5 billion for HRSA [Health Resources and Services Administration] to use to build or repair health centers and/or to purchase equipment, and $85 million for health IT and telehealth technologies within the Indian Health Service. In addition ot this, much of the other HIT money will most likely have telehealth applications....
•HRSA has given a grant to the following, although I'm not sure if this came before or after stimulus windfall:
... The [Association for Utah Community Health] Telehealth Program will... supply[ ] telehealth equipment and resources to all association members....
Members of theAUCH include... Planned Parenthood of UT, a Title X funded reproductive health organization....
Services to be provided include... videoconferencing....
Specific PP participants of the UT Telehealth Network include clinics located in Logan, Ogden, Park City, Salt Lake, South Jordan, St. George, UT Valley, and West Valley.
•In June 2009 Tides and the CA Endowment issued Health Information Technology Resources for Community Clinics re: the "unprecedented opportunity" due to "[n]ew funding for health information technology at the federal level...."
A couple telemedicine funds are mentioned. 9 CA PPs are listed as "community clinics": PP Golden Gate, PP Shasta Diablo, PP Los Angeles, PP Mar Monte, PP Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Six Rivers PP, PP of OCSB, PP of San Diego & Riverside Counties, and PP of Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.
Planned Parenthood mission
•From the Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties 2008 Annual Report:
We continue to explore innovative ways to deliver medical services and enhance the overall experience of our patients, including telemedicine....
•Now that we know what we're looking for, and particularly given PP of Greater IA's Spring 2009 newsletter stating, "The telemedicine technology has expanded access to women from Iowa and bordering states," a 2009 report rementioned on PP of MN, ND, and SD's blog on June 9 is ominous.
It's 2009 Rural Women's Health Report is chock full of telemed buzz phrases. Following is a snippet. On guard, MN pro-lifers:
The obstacles faced by health care providers and patients in rural areas are vastly different from those in urban areas. Economic factors... and the isolation of living in remote areas all impact rural residents' ability to lead a healthy life.
See related news...
Wisconsin pro-lifers on the watch for 'telemed'
Contact: Jill Stanek
Source: jillstanek.com
Publish Date: June 18, 2010
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