Fed grant allows rural hospitals to network with the U
By: Carlos Mayorga
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
The federal government awarded the U $9 million to expand a network that allows specialized doctors to treat patients in rural areas of the state through video communication.
The program, called the Utah Telehealth Network, was started 11 years ago and connects hospitals and clinics in rural areas to larger medical centers like the U. The network allows smaller hospitals to transfer radiology images, patient information and live video to specialists at the U.
As of today, the network connects to more than 30 locations statewide, including Delta, Fillmore, Panguitch and Tremonton.
With help from the grant, the network will be able to expand to 80 sites and greatly improve the network reliability at existing sites, sending video and information up to 100 times faster than before, said Jeff Shuckra, network engineer for UTN.
He said that improvements to the network mean that doctors will get better video quality, allowing them to see the patient just as they would if they were to be there, but from hundreds of miles away.
A fast and more reliable network means that doctors at the U will be able to see color through the monitor more vividly, which is instrumental in diagnosing patients more accurately, Shuckra said.
"Health care facilities will be able to pass information more securely and faster with this grant," Shuckra said. "That is the biggest issue. It's all about collaboration."
Donna Singer, CEO of Utah Navajo Health Systems which has four clinics connected to the U through the network, said the program has been a "huge asset." An X-ray can be taken (in southern Utah) and within minutes arrive in Salt Lake City, she said.
"UTN has been an important part in the lives of people in these remote areas," Singer said. "On one afternoon, three imminent heart attacks were spotted and treated in the Montezuma Creek, Utah, clinic...a testament to the system."
Although the network reaches out to rural areas of the state, the network benefits everyone, said Chet Steele, a network administrator at the Central Valley Medical Center in Nephi.
For example, someone who gets injured in a car accident traveling along I-15 in central Utah could end up at Central Valley Medical Center. But when the hospital is without a neurologist during evening hours, the UTN could be "potentially lifesaving," allowing doctors to connect to neurologists in Salt Lake City, Steele said.
"I'm a raving fan of the UTN," Steele said, adding that transferring patients to the U Medical Center isn't always possible in an emergency situation.
Common life-threatening emergencies, such as strokes, require immediate attention, but before treatment, a doctor must determine which drugs to administer.
"If a patient were to be shipped up to Salt Lake, by the time they do get up there, the drugs wouldn't have the same effect," he said.
The UTN expansion project, called ARCHES (Advancing Rural Connections for Healthcare and E-health Services), should be completed by 2011.
c.mayorga@chronicle.utah.edu
The program, called the Utah Telehealth Network, was started 11 years ago and connects hospitals and clinics in rural areas to larger medical centers like the U. The network allows smaller hospitals to transfer radiology images, patient information and live video to specialists at the U.
As of today, the network connects to more than 30 locations statewide, including Delta, Fillmore, Panguitch and Tremonton.
With help from the grant, the network will be able to expand to 80 sites and greatly improve the network reliability at existing sites, sending video and information up to 100 times faster than before, said Jeff Shuckra, network engineer for UTN.
He said that improvements to the network mean that doctors will get better video quality, allowing them to see the patient just as they would if they were to be there, but from hundreds of miles away.
A fast and more reliable network means that doctors at the U will be able to see color through the monitor more vividly, which is instrumental in diagnosing patients more accurately, Shuckra said.
"Health care facilities will be able to pass information more securely and faster with this grant," Shuckra said. "That is the biggest issue. It's all about collaboration."
Donna Singer, CEO of Utah Navajo Health Systems which has four clinics connected to the U through the network, said the program has been a "huge asset." An X-ray can be taken (in southern Utah) and within minutes arrive in Salt Lake City, she said.
"UTN has been an important part in the lives of people in these remote areas," Singer said. "On one afternoon, three imminent heart attacks were spotted and treated in the Montezuma Creek, Utah, clinic...a testament to the system."
Although the network reaches out to rural areas of the state, the network benefits everyone, said Chet Steele, a network administrator at the Central Valley Medical Center in Nephi.
For example, someone who gets injured in a car accident traveling along I-15 in central Utah could end up at Central Valley Medical Center. But when the hospital is without a neurologist during evening hours, the UTN could be "potentially lifesaving," allowing doctors to connect to neurologists in Salt Lake City, Steele said.
"I'm a raving fan of the UTN," Steele said, adding that transferring patients to the U Medical Center isn't always possible in an emergency situation.
Common life-threatening emergencies, such as strokes, require immediate attention, but before treatment, a doctor must determine which drugs to administer.
"If a patient were to be shipped up to Salt Lake, by the time they do get up there, the drugs wouldn't have the same effect," he said.
The UTN expansion project, called ARCHES (Advancing Rural Connections for Healthcare and E-health Services), should be completed by 2011.
c.mayorga@chronicle.utah.edu
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