Invited Symposium Presentation
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Telemedicine/Teleradiology Contact Person: Kevin M.
McNeill, Ph.D. (kevin@radiology.arizona.edu) During the last several years rapid developments in technology have made feasible many applications in medicine which were previously merely dicussed. Two areas enjoying the benefits of decreased cost and increased performance are telemedicine and PACS. Teleradiology can be considered a component of either application area and also benefits from the same technology trends. These technology trends, coupled with increased attention to medically under-served populations and the issues of managed care, are driving a resurgence of telemedicine. At the University of Arizona teleradiology is implemented by the department of radiology as a semiautonomous, but integrated component of the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP). The ATP is a comprehensive effort providing: 1) Telemedicine Services; 2) Professional Education; 3) Telemedicine Technology Assessment; and 5) Telemedicine Training. The foundations for these services is the Telemedcine Infrastructure of the Arizona Rural Telemedicine Network (ARTN). The ARTN is a private Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network which supports both real-time interactive video applications and asynchronous store-and-forward applications (e.g., teleradiology). The University of Arizona Health Sciences Center is the primary service center with twelve client sites, most of which are small rural hospitals. This presentation describes several aspects of telemedicine/teleradiology which are particular strengths of the Arizona program. Back to the top. | Discussion Board | Next Page | Your Symposium | |
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