More patients being touched by telemedicine at Adena
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CHILLICOTHE – Imagine being examined by a physician and not being in the same room with him, let alone the same city. Imagine a specialist in Columbus talking to you in Greenfield by way of a TV monitor.
In a matter of weeks, Adena Health System will begin using sophisticated telemedicine equipment in two of its outlying sites, which will revolutionize the way patients are cared for in southern Ohio.
“For one thing, many people will not have to travel from Adena’s regional locations to its main campus in Chillicothe,” said Dr. Sathish Jetty.
“Likewise, many patients at the Adena Medical Center may not need to be transferred to Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati for certain kinds of treatment,” added Mark Moffitt, Adena’s Chief Information Officer.
Instead, patients in regional health centers will be seen, literally speaking, over high-definition video and audio equipment by physicians in other locations.
Two years after Adena and a handful of other southern Ohio hospitals received a $16 million FCC grant to develop a healthcare network, Adena is preparing to flip the switch on its new telemedicine capabilities.
Telemedicine equipment initially will be located in the Greenfield and Jackson Health Centers, and in the Pulmonology and Cardiology offices in the Adena Medical Center, according to Dr. Jetty and Brian Young, Senior Systems and Security Analyst.
Eventually, all of Adena’s regional sites – Circleville, Oak Hill, Washington Court House and Waverly – will be equipped with telemedicine units and will have the capability to consult with any physician at the main campus.
“We also are working on developing telemedicine for nursing homes, schools and daycare centers, and introducing home monitoring devices for chronic disease management,” Dr. Jetty said.
For patients in outlying areas, telemedicine means easier access to specialists in the Adena Medical Center, without having to travel far from home and family. It also allows physicians to diagnose more quickly, with the help of Adena’s electronic medical record system.
Along with regional sites being connected to the Adena Medical Center, the medical center will be connected to major medical centers outside of the region, including Ohio State University Medical Center and Riverside Methodist Hospital, as well as an existing partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The telemedicine effort is part of the Southern Ohio Health Care Network, better known as SOHCN, a partnership of the region’s three largest healthcare providers - Adena, O’Bleness Health System and Holzer Consolidated Health Systems. Its goal is to make health care more accessible and affordable to residents living in the Appalachian region of Ohio.
CHILLICOTHE – Imagine being examined by a physician and not being in the same room with him, let alone the same city. Imagine a specialist in Columbus talking to you in Greenfield by way of a TV monitor.
In a matter of weeks, Adena Health System will begin using sophisticated telemedicine equipment in two of its outlying sites, which will revolutionize the way patients are cared for in southern Ohio.
“For one thing, many people will not have to travel from Adena’s regional locations to its main campus in Chillicothe,” said Dr. Sathish Jetty.
“Likewise, many patients at the Adena Medical Center may not need to be transferred to Columbus, Cleveland or Cincinnati for certain kinds of treatment,” added Mark Moffitt, Adena’s Chief Information Officer.
Instead, patients in regional health centers will be seen, literally speaking, over high-definition video and audio equipment by physicians in other locations.
Two years after Adena and a handful of other southern Ohio hospitals received a $16 million FCC grant to develop a healthcare network, Adena is preparing to flip the switch on its new telemedicine capabilities.
Telemedicine equipment initially will be located in the Greenfield and Jackson Health Centers, and in the Pulmonology and Cardiology offices in the Adena Medical Center, according to Dr. Jetty and Brian Young, Senior Systems and Security Analyst.
Eventually, all of Adena’s regional sites – Circleville, Oak Hill, Washington Court House and Waverly – will be equipped with telemedicine units and will have the capability to consult with any physician at the main campus.
“We also are working on developing telemedicine for nursing homes, schools and daycare centers, and introducing home monitoring devices for chronic disease management,” Dr. Jetty said.
For patients in outlying areas, telemedicine means easier access to specialists in the Adena Medical Center, without having to travel far from home and family. It also allows physicians to diagnose more quickly, with the help of Adena’s electronic medical record system.
Along with regional sites being connected to the Adena Medical Center, the medical center will be connected to major medical centers outside of the region, including Ohio State University Medical Center and Riverside Methodist Hospital, as well as an existing partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The telemedicine effort is part of the Southern Ohio Health Care Network, better known as SOHCN, a partnership of the region’s three largest healthcare providers - Adena, O’Bleness Health System and Holzer Consolidated Health Systems. Its goal is to make health care more accessible and affordable to residents living in the Appalachian region of Ohio.