The Arizona Telemedicine Program Blog, Category: mHealth

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely transformed our world in a matter of a few months. Issues that have prevailed for years like healthcare access disparity, have become exacerbated even though agencies have put forth their best efforts to mitigate the effects.

Carol Lewis, a manager for community health education (CHE), has experienced the effects of this inequality firsthand in Yavapai County. Yavapai county is a county in central Arizona with approximately 235,100 inhabitants of which about 46,000 live in its largest city of Prescott Valley. It’s population is spread over 8,128 square miles leading to a population density of about 26 people per square mile.

The Arizona Telemedicine Program’s T-Health Institute (Institute for Advanced Telemedicine and Telehealth) is charged with developing innovative medical science curriculum throughout the education continuum in Arizona and throughout the Unites States.  Since its creation in 2004 by the Arizona State Legislature, and initially supported by targeted funding in the federal budget, the T-Health Institute has facilitated over 100 webinars and helped publish over 200 blogs articles.  It has supported innovative education research for STEM training, K-12 medical science education, early college curriculum development, and interprofessional education.  T-Health is currently engaged in developing telemedicine curriculum for medical students.

There is a glaring shortage of healthcare providers across the world as is, and with the novel coronavirus epidemic taking over the world, hospitals are stretched too thin. It is envisaged by Inside Higher Ed that there will be a shortage of almost 120,000 doctors in the United States alone by the year 2030. The extremely lopsided doctor to patient ratio in some clinical specialties and geographic locations highlights the difficulty healthcare providers have in providing care to patients in a satisfactory manner. At present, there are around 40 doctors for 100,000 patients in the rural areas and around 53 doctors for 100,000 patients in the urban areas, as stated by Rural Health Web. This stark gap is one of the key driving forces for the adoption of digital applications and mechanisms by healthcare institutions.

Telemedicine involves monitoring patients, exchanging medical information and analyzing the results of various clinical exams. These exams are examined and handed digitally, giving invaluable support to traditional medicine. Telemedicine is already used worldwide, in a very safe and legal manner, complying with medical legislation and standards. With the utilization of data technologies that add quality and speed within the exchange of information, doctors can make decisions with greater agility and precision. Through telemedicine, specialists can access exams from anywhere within their practice jurisdiction, using platforms such as computers and mobile devices, like smartphones and tablets. This article provides an overview of 6 essential telemedicine books that are useful to help those interested in telemedicine improve their understanding of the field.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law by President Trump on March 27, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The CARES Act provided $200 million to the FCC to support healthcare providers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 2, 2020 the FCC announced its COVID-19 Telehealth Program which provides funding of up to $1 million per applicant to “purchase telecommunications, information services, and connected devices to provide connected care services in response to the coronavirus pandemic.” As of April 29, 2020, the FCC has already awarded 30 applicants from 15 states funding totaling $13,700,581.  The average amount awarded is $456,686, with individual funding awards ranging from $26,180 to the maximum of $1,000,000.  Per the FCC order, “this funding opportunity will remain available until the funding is expended or the COVID-19 pandemic has ended,” and “applicants that have exhausted initially awarded funding may request additional support.”