Telemedicine growing in Ohio

The number of Ohio hospitals that are using a computer network to conduct exams and transfer medical information continues to grow (Source: “Telemedicine expanding,” Canton Repository, June 30, 2008).

For example, Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus is set to install high-definition cameras and video monitors at a hospital in Zanesville later this year, and plans to establish remote connections with four other rural hospitals next year. A similar network has been established by Akron Children’s Hospital to connect to rural areas in Ashland and Wayne counties.

Officials with the American Telemedicine Association tout the technology as a means to increase access to specialists in remote areas and to lower health-care costs by reducing travel expenses and keeping patients out of more expensive hospitals.