Ohio VA hospitals tout telehealth program

Officials at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center this week touted their use of new telehealth technology that enables staff at the Cincinnati VA to remotely offer second opinions (Source: “VA provides long-distance diagnoses for patients,” Chillicothe Gazette, Sept. 18, 2013).

The technology, known as Tele ICU, allows medical staff at the Cincinnati VA to monitor patients using cameras that can zoom in as close as the patient’s pupil or focus on a measurement mark on a syringe.

In the past year, HPIO has focused attention on telehealth as a promising practice that can help improve health outcomes and access to care and reduce health costs. On July 16, the Institute invited key telehealth stakeholders from across the state to participate in a Telehealth Leadership Summit. To summarize the event, HPIO has released a brief titled “The Health Policy Institute of Ohio’s Telehealth Leadership Summit: Key findings and considerations” (pdf, 8 pages).