–The Post and Courier, Derrek Asberry
“The Medical University of South Carolina and the state Department of Corrections are teaming up to provide telehealth services to inmates in four South Carolina prisons.
Using the service, a doctor in Charleston can consult with the care team at a prison any time of day via video conferencing equipment. Then, the doctor can remotely prescribe medications, treatments and procedures that prison officials can implement for the inmate.”
-T&D
The BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation will award $4.8 million to 13 organizations serving South Carolinians’ health needs.
“We are excited about the newest grant recipients,” Foundation Executive Director Harvey Galloway said. “These grants align with the mission of the foundation, which is to promote and support healthier South Carolinians, particularly the economically vulnerable.”
Recipients of the most recent grants serving local residents and those across the state include:
Advanced Care Planning (ACP) in South Carolina – Funds support activities to develop a strategic plan to promote ACP for the economically disadvantaged.
Greenwood Genetic Center – Support research toward the development of a blood-diagnostic test for autism.
Institute for Child Success– Complete a statewide study on the current protective services of child advocacy centers to produce research and policy recommendations focused on eliminating toxic stress.
Palmetto Palace –- Increase access to health care services through technology and telehealth using a mobile health van throughout the Lowcountry.
South Carolina Pharmacy Foundation Inc. – Plan and implement a statewide initiative to educate providers on the proper management of opioid addiction in order to prevent over-prescribing opioids and to increase public awareness of medication safety.
The Columbia Oral Health Clinic – Improve access to care by upgrading dental equipment to provide free dental examinations to uninsured and underinsured patients living with HIV/AIDS. Calhoun County is among those that will benefit.
The Medical University of South Carolina – Support the development of a burn-healing app that will increase access to medical care for burned children, as well as educate caregivers and providers on burn injury prevention efforts statewide.
The University of South Carolina Salkehatchie – Add a state-of-the-art simulation lab to assist nursing students for real-life situations. Bamberg County is among the areas that will benefit.
–mHealth Intelligence
Today’s healthcare ecosystem is filled with references to and examples of telemedicine and telehealth – in some cases, the two terms are used interchangeably. Whether they mean the same thing is a topic of considerable debate.
In general terms, telemedicine is considered the clinical application of technology, while telehealth encompasses a broader, consumer-facing approach – “a collection of means or methods, not a specific clinical service, to enhance care delivery and education,” according to the federal network of telehealth resource centers.
“While ‘telemedicine’ has been more commonly used in the past, ‘telehealth’ is a more universal term for the current broad array of applications in the field,” the TRC network states in its online resource guide. “Its use crosses most health service disciplines, including dentistry, counseling, physical therapy and home health, and many other domains. Further, telehealth practice has expanded beyond traditional diagnostic and monitoring activities to include consumer and professional education. Note that while a connection exists between health information technology (HIT), health information exchange (HIE) and telehealth, neither HIE nor HIT are considered to be telehealth.”
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice HealthPlan of South Carolina have launched an app for members that enables them to visit the doctor without going to the doctor’s office.
The app, Blue CareOnDemand, uses a telehealth technology from Boston-based firm American Well to connect members with physicians 24/7 via a computer, tablet or mobile phone. The doctor will review the member’s symptoms, ask and answer questions, make diagnoses and prescribe medications.
Click here to read the full article.
–Greenville Online
Greenville Health System patients with minor ailments will soon be able to access a remote health care provider using technology instead of going to the doctor.
With SmartExams, established patients contact a service and provide their symptoms while a nurse practitioner or physician assistant calls them back to discuss a diagnosis and treatment plan.
SmartExams, which launches April 4, is one of several telehealth services popping up around the country in response to consumers who are looking for more convenient care in their busy lives and as the physician shortage makes it increasingly difficult to get a timely appointment with a doctor.
-American Telemedicine Association
“The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) requests that several Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes be approved for Medicare telehealth coverage begin in 2017. ATA recommends that CMS facilitate, to the maximum extent of the law, the inclusion of Medicare services that can be provided using telecommunications technology.”
TURNER CO., GA (WALB) –
As part of National Rural Health Day, Turner County Elementary School highlighted it’s TeleHealth Clinic that they started back in 2012 for students and faculty.
Students can make an appointment with their parent’s permission and see a doctor through a computer at school.
The doctor can diagnose the patient remotely and receive information from medical instruments connected to the computer.
“Having the Clinic right here we can get the appointment the same day and then they are able to get the appointment, be seen, and then they are able to go back to class and their prescriptions are called into the pharmacy of their choice,” said the Health Clinic Coordinator Gwendolyn Mathis.
There are also TeleHealth clinics at Turner County Special Services, Pre-K, middle and high schools.
Three Telehealth Awards were presented at the 4th Annual Telehealth Summit of SC on October 15-16, 2015. Congratulations to all award recipients!
Telehealth Program of Excellence Award
Ed Spencer and Meera Narasimhan, SC DMH Telepsychiatry Program Representatives, pictured with Kathy Schwarting, PCC Executive Director
Telehealth Champion Award
Roger Poston, Award Winner, pictured with Kathy Schwarting, PCC Executive Director
Telehealth Community Innovator Award
Gaye Douglas, Award Winner, pictured with Kathy Schwarting, PCC Executive Director
Moultrie News–
In partnership with Goodwill Industries, The Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center celebrates the grand opening of its new Community Resource and Referral Center (CRRC). The new resource center will help the Medical Center and the community better meet the needs of our homeless Veteran population in the Charleston area. The mission of the center is to provide one stop service centers in collaboration with local community and government partners to serve both homeless Veterans and Veterans at risk for homelessness and their families. VA on-site services will include: Healthcare for Homeless Veterans: walk-in clinic, eligibility and enrollment, outreach and intake service, short and long-term case management, assessment for VA grant per diem: transitional housing, assessment for HUD VA Supported Housing: permanent supported housing, telehealth services to VA Outpatient Clinics and educational groups. Community partners include but are not limited to: Goodwill Industries, One 80 Place Supportive Services for Veterans Families, Family Services, Inc., South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation, Charleston County School District Office of Adult Education, Social Security Administration, Lowcountry Homeless Coalition and Veterans Benefits Administration.
Palmetto Care Connections (PCC) is the telehealth network for South Carolina that offers telehealth support services to rural and underserved health care providers.
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