In Alaska, the healthcare workers practicing in hospitals, clinics, and community health centers are essential to the delivery of acute and primary care services to small, rural, and remote communities. Although the majority of Alaska’s population is located outside the greater Anchorage area, the majority of healthcare providers in Alaska (e.g., physicians, PAs, RNs, physical therapists) are located in its three largest cities. As a result, rural clinicians practice in a generalist’s environment, but where they often need to have specialty knowledge and expertise. This dichotomy is further complicated when you consider the limited opportunities for continuing education and access to specialty consultations available because of travel costs, geographical and weather restrictions, and a general lack of or inability to arrange for clinical coverage during absences.
The ASHNHA Program Services Company, Inc. (APSCI), the charitable [501(c)(3)] arm of the Alaska State Hospital & Nursing Home Association (ASHNHA), is host to Alaska’s first privately-owned, member-based telehealth network – the Alaska Rural Telehealth Network (ARTN). The ARTN connects eleven (11) of some of Alaska’s most rural and remote hospitals and community health centers. A listing of the ARTN member sites and other key information is available from the website at www.artn.org.
The original acquisition and deployment of the ARTN was funded by grants from private, State, and federal agencies (the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust and the Rasmuson Foundation, the Alaska State Legislature, and the Denali Commission, respectively), and also included ARTN member match. The combined $5.4 Million dollars raised by APSCI resulted in the creation of a robust and expansive telehealth network serving facilities stretching from Wrangell up to Glennallen and out to Unalaska.
Created in 1952, ASHNHA is a federally recognized not-for-profit corporation organized in the State of Alaska. ASHNHA has final responsibility for the fiscal management of the ARTN.
The 11 communities serviced directly through the ARTN comprise 16% of Alaska's overall resident population, but 57% of its rural population (this figure excludes the Anchorage/Mat-Su, Fairbanks and Juneau census areas and the seasonal influx of fishery workers and tourists that impact many rural communities). In addition, the ARTN has "peering relationships" with a number of other telehealth networks, including the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), GCI's Connect MD, Providence Health System in Alaska, and the Alaska Psychiatric Institute; theoretically, this connectivity allows ARTN members access to more than 200 other facilities across the state. This collaboration between various health networks encourages (and has already resulted in) the sharing of telehealth services and the joint broadcasting of educational events.
Presently, ARTN members utilize the network to both provide their local residents with life-saving, patient teleradiology services and their facility staff and community members with high-quality, live, video-conferenced, continuing education that would otherwise be unavailable and unaffordable.
While the ARTN plans to expand its telemedicine services in the coming year, its Educational Program is very active and continues to expand every month. The primary goal of the ARTN Education Program is to be responsive to the educational needs of the network membership by providing timely, pertinent, and accredited continuing education opportunities to their staff, while at the same time reducing both the administrative time required to track continuing education units and the funding and travel necessary to attend these events.
The ARTN has been very fortunate to partner, not only with in-state education providers, but also with leading health care institutions, universities and telehealth networks across the United States. These include: Harborview Medical Center, Missouri Telehealth Network, Native People for Cancer Control Telehealth Network, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington/School of Medicine, Utah Department of Health and the Utah Telehealth Network and Virginia Mason Medical Center. It has been wonderful to experience first-hand how successfully healthcare entities can collaborate when their common mission is well-articulated and focused.
Though our Network is young, it has been amazing to learn from our peers within Alaska and beyond about their defeats, triumphs and on-going struggles in this burgeoning area of Telehealth. We appreciate the graciousness our peers have shown in assisting and guiding us through the initial phases of our network's development in order for the ARTN member facilities and their communities to reap the benefits stemming from increased quality of and access to healthcare and continuing education. While some of these myriad benefits have already been realized; others are on the horizon. Meanwhile, we continue to work towards satisfying our mission statement buoyed by the support of our membership and partners.
Thank you for this opportunity to introduce our Network.
ARTN Mission Statement
To provide its members - small, rural, and remote hospitals and clinics across Alaska - with access to modern telecommunications capabilities and medical equipment and specialty physicians to provide a broader range of access to improved healthcare services for the communities and residents served by ARTN member facilities.
APSCI Board of Directors
Al Parrish, Chairman
Chief Executive
Providence Health System in Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Ryan Smith, Vice-Chairman
Chief Executive Officer
Central Peninsula Hospital
Soldotna, Alaska
Mike Powers, Treasurer
Vice President, Administrator
Fairbanks Memorial Hospital
Fairbanks, Alaska
Patrick Branco, Secretary
Chief Executive Officer
Ketchikan General Hospital
Ketchikan, Alaska
APSCI Key Staff Members
Rod Betit, Chief Executive Officer
426 Main Street
Juneau, AK 99801
907-586-1790
Job responsibilities: Seek and apply for state and federal grants and foundation funding to support initiatives important to the Association’s hospital and nursing home members as a group, including special attention to the sustainability of Alaska’s small, rural and remote hospitals; the quality of patient care; healthcare workforce recruitment and retention; continuing education opportunities for CEO’s, CFO’s and other key health care professionals (operational and clinical); ongoing education and skill building opportunities for health facility board members; and the technical assistance and education services needs of individual facilities.
Randall Burns, MS, Program Coordinator
943 W. 6th Avenue, Suite 120
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-646-1444
Job responsibilities: Responsible for all aspects of ASHPIN management and oversight of all of ASHNHA’s rural hospital projects, including management of the ARTN Project from its inception. His duties include, but are not limited to: strategic planning, program research, development and coordination, financial planning and grant management, direction and support to ASHPIN communities, as well as day to day operations of the ASHPIN/ASHNHA Anchorage staff and all activities consistent with the philosophy, vision, goals, objectives and strategic priorities of ASHNHA, APSCI and ASHPIN.
Katy Branch, ARTN Education Coordinator
943 W. 6th Avenue, Suite 120
Anchorage, AK 99501
907-646-1444
Job responsibilities: Responsible for coordination and development of ARTN’s Education Program (AEP) including, but not limited to: developing processes and infrastructure for the AEP, conducting research to identify the training/education needs of ARTN members, researching education program opportunities, developing partnerships with education providers, implementing and organizing distance events, providing technical assistance and end user training, coordinating with each member site, and promoting and carrying-out initiatives set forth by the ARTN member facilities. |
