The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center http://www.nrtrc.org Provides technical assistance in developing telehealth networks and applications to serve rural and underserved communities. Tue, 15 May 2012 22:02:20 +0000 en hourly 1 Attention Doctors and Clinical Staff http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/attention-doctors-and-clinical-staff/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/attention-doctors-and-clinical-staff/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2012 21:21:04 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2198

www.nrtrc-conference.com 

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/attention-doctors-and-clinical-staff/feed/ 0 Guest Post: How to stand out from the crowd with your telehealth marketing message http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-how-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd-with-your-telehealth-marketing-message/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-how-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd-with-your-telehealth-marketing-message/#comments Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:07:10 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2194 Continue reading →]]> “The current marketing ‘rules’ will ultimately lead to failure. In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is failing. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.” 
- Seth Godin, Marketing guru and author of The Purple Cow and Tribes.

This article covers one of the most critical aspects of marketing – differentiating yourself from the crowd.  It shares to help people command more attention for their service or solution – at conferences and beyond. These insights are as important for health systems, physician practices, and telehealth professionals as they are for telehealth vendors. 

To continue reading this article click here

April 3rd the NRTRC Open Mic Webinar Series will be presenting Marketing Telehealth. Check back in a week for more information.

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-how-to-stand-out-from-the-crowd-with-your-telehealth-marketing-message/feed/ 0 Just 2 1/2 weeks left! http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/just-2-12-weeks-left/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/just-2-12-weeks-left/#comments Wed, 29 Feb 2012 20:12:37 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2190 Continue reading →]]> There are just 2 and a half weeks left until the NRTRC Telemedicine Conference 2012.  If you haven’t registered yet for this great conference head over to www.nrtrc-conference.com and register today!  

There are going to be so many awesome presentations at this year it will be difficult to decide which ones to go to.  In the Administrative Track we have Melissa Ahern from Washington State University coming to discuss “Managing Health and Healthcare in a Long-Term Contracting Economy:  The Potential Role of Telemedicine” and Paloma Costa and Carolyn McConac talking about the “Rural Health Care Program and Application Process” from USAC.  

Don’t forget that our Clinical Track is offering 7 CME credits with topics ranging from “Supporting Oncology Care Using Telehealth” to “Telepsychiatry Update- Practical Tips and Approaches“.  

We also have a Technical Track that will be discussing “Trends in Telemedicine Technology”, “Getting Past the Buzz of Assumed Connectivity” which will discuss issues with mobile devices in healthcare, and “Selecting the Right Technology for your Telehealth Program“.  

We are also pleased to bring all participants the opportunity to be a part of a special session Tuesday morning on “Telemedicine 101“.  This session is perfect for anyone who is new to telehealth and would like to learn the ins and outs of it as well as a perfect opportunity to ask your questions and get answers.  
 
Not only will this conference be a great time of learning but also a time of networking with other telehealth professionals from around the Northwest Region.  There is plenty of time set aside at breaks, lunch, and a networking reception (sponsored by Vidyo) for you to connect and build relationships with other telehealth professionals as well as the many vendors from around the region exhibiting at our conference.

The conference program will be available on the website soon with full descriptions of all presentations.  

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Sara Rivera
Project Coordinator
406-237-8665
]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/just-2-12-weeks-left/feed/ 0 Guest Post: 3 Medical Devices of the Future for iOS http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-3-medical-devices-of-the-future-for-ios/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-3-medical-devices-of-the-future-for-ios/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:15:42 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2182 Continue reading →]]> 3 Medical Devices of the Future for iOS

by Katie Matlack

There’s a lot of interest in the impact medical peripherals on iOS mobile platforms can have. Used properly, properly designed apps could help catch diseases earlier and make lives of patients easier. As the blogger covering health IT and medical software for Software Advice, I decided to see what it would take to design three apps myself.

Disease Risk Calculator

Since proteins found in blood can be used as biomarkers to diagnose diseases from type 2 diabetes, to cancer, to HIV. Using tests that detect specific biomarkers of diseases long before clinical symptoms arise can lead to earlier treatment, saving lives.

A user interface, or UI, that indicated to a patient how his score on specific biomarkers had changed over time could help him visualize progress and compare himself to his peers.

Spirometer

Studies have found that measuring breathing difficulty before and after taking medicines for emphysema or chronic bronchitis can help people minimize shortness of breath. Often even after a patient has taken a medicine that does increase airflow to the lungs, their shortness of breath continues. But if a patient sees the measurement of her inspiratory flow–her in-breath–before she takes a medicine, the likelihood she’ll actually start breathing easier after she takes the medicine will be increased.  

Spirometers in patient hands today are cheap, simple devices, so a spirometer attached to a sophisticated app that could record breathing performance over time would be extremely useful for both patients and doctors.

Electrocardiogram

Interpreting the electrical activity of the heart over time is useful. It can tell you the rate and regularity of your heartbeats, as well as the size and position of your heart chambers. The presence of heart damage, as well as the impact of drugs or heart rate regulation devices such as pacemakers, can also be detected from an ECG.

If used by caregivers this device can help automate recognition of possible problems, rather than relying solely on the human eye to detect potential irregularities. In addition, doctors could take this device to the field.

Katie Matlack is the Medical Software Analyst at Software Advice, where she writes about health IT including web based home health software. You can view the full article this story is based on on the Software Advice blog. 
]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/guest-post-3-medical-devices-of-the-future-for-ios/feed/ 0 Re-Post: Telehealth boom could break down distance barriers http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/re-post-telehealth-boom-could-break-down-distance-barriers/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/re-post-telehealth-boom-could-break-down-distance-barriers/#comments Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:24:23 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2143 Continue reading →]]>

Telehealth still must overcome obstacles to reach predicted potential.

The combination of an ever-greater reach of the Internet and wireless technologies, the need to deliver health care services to isolated populations and the movement to reduce costs is pushing telehealth — health care delivered at a distance — into a more prominent role.

It’s been around in some form for many years, but it’s always been a relatively small niche in the overall health care universe. But that will soon change, according to United Kingdom-based market watcher InMedica, which predicts a more than $1 billion worldwide market for telehealth by 2016, which could jump to $6 billion by the end of the decade.

Home monitoring of patients, particularly to manage chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and congestive heart failure, is one big reason underlying this expansion, said Diane Wilkinson, research manager at InMedica.

“Many public health care systems now have targets to reduce both the number of hospital visits and the length of stay in hospital,” Wilkinson said. “This has led to a growing trend for health care to be managed outside the traditional hospital environment, and as a result, there is a growing trend for patients to be monitored in their home environment using telehealth technologies once their treatment is complete.”

There have been some large-scale trials in Europe and the United Kingdom, but by far, the most established market for telehealth is in the United States.

To continue reading click here

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/re-post-telehealth-boom-could-break-down-distance-barriers/feed/ 0 NRTRC Telemedicine Conference Giveaway http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/nrtrc-telemedicine-conference-giveaway/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/nrtrc-telemedicine-conference-giveaway/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:08:55 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2118 Continue reading →]]> NRTRC Telemedicine Conference Giveaway

The NRTRC Telemedicine Conference 2012 is fast approaching and we’d like to give one lucky person a free pass to come.  This giveaway is for one free registration to our conference.  It does not include any of the travel costs.  Entering is easy; simply leave a comment on this blog post with your name and your email address so we can contact you if you win.  This contest will go from today, Jan. 11th through midnight (MST) Wednesday, Jan. 25th.  The winner will be announced on Thursday the 26th via email.  This will give the rest of you who didn’t win a chance to still sign up for the early bird registration that ends on Feb. 1st.

In the spirit of giving you lots of chances to win you can enter every day on the blog but you can also enter by liking us on Facebook and then leaving a wall post again with your email address or by tweeting “I’m entering the @NRTRC Conference giveaway” or something like that.  Just remember to mention us in the tweet so we see it.

Here are the links to find us on Facebook and Twitter.

So to recap you have the chance to enter three times a day but just once per media, adding up to 45 chances to win!

Want more information on the conference go to www.nrtrc-conference.com

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to network and learn with other telehealth professionals from around the Northwest region!

 

*Prize is non-transferable

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/nrtrc-telemedicine-conference-giveaway/feed/ 5 Grant Opportunity from the NRTRC http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/grant-opportunity-from-the-nrtrc/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/grant-opportunity-from-the-nrtrc/#comments Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:23:56 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2083 Continue reading →]]> The Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center has announced a new grant opportunity for all their members.  These grants are available to anyone who is a member of the NRTRC (click here to find out how to become a member) and will be up to $10,000 maximum.

The deadline to apply is 5:00pm Mountain Time, Feb. 3rd.

For application and criteria click here.

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/grant-opportunity-from-the-nrtrc/feed/ 0 The World of mHealth http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/the-world-of-mhealth/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/the-world-of-mhealth/#comments Tue, 13 Dec 2011 21:21:43 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2069 Continue reading →]]> Just this last week the mHealth Summit was held in Washington D.C.  I was not so prvileged to go but Tom did and came back bubbling with new information on the latest and greatest in mHealth.  Our next newsletter is going to be themed around mHealth, so keep an eye out for that.  If you don’t subscribe to our newsletter you can do that here.

Also, coming down the pipeline is a mHealth toolkit put together by TTAC (Telehealth Technology Assessment Center).  I’m not sure when they plan on having it done but I’m sure it will be ready in a few months.  In the meantime you can check out their website for other great toolkits. www.telehealthtac.org

Also, I found this article to be interesting:

British Study Shows that Telemedicine Decreases Death by 45% – Fierce Mobile

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/the-world-of-mhealth/feed/ 0 Seattle Children’s Hospital Says No to iPads…. http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/seattle-childrens-hospital-says-no-to-ipads/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/seattle-childrens-hospital-says-no-to-ipads/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:19:26 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2051 Continue reading →]]> For now at least.  I just read this article from CIO about how Seattle Children’s did a test with a handful of physicians using iPads in a clinical setting.  ”Every one of the clinicians returned the iPad, saying that it wasn’t going to work for day-to-day clinical work,” says CTO Wes Wright. “The EMR (electronic medical record) apps are unwieldy on the iPad.”  I wonder though was it really the iPad’s fault or was it the EMR’s?  I’m guessing a bit of both.  If the EMR had an app that was designed to work on an iPad, or any other tablet for that matter, would the clinicians love it?  We’ve all seen articles that promote iPad use in healthcare and how physicians are loving them so this article comes as a bit of a shock against the promotion of that idea.  Still if you read to the end of the article it does say that Seattle Children’s is open to the idea of using tablets in their workflow if the EMR develops an app for that.  Sorry I couldn’t help but use the cliche.  I believe that healthcare is going more and more mobile but it has a ways to go and not everything will be better in a mobile format.  And you won’t get completely away from using a keyboard and mouse anytime soon.  At least not until they develop the technology to implant the computer in our brains. What are your thoughts?

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/seattle-childrens-hospital-says-no-to-ipads/feed/ 0 Wyoming Telehealth Consortium Launches New Website http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/wyoming-telehealth-consortium-launches-new-website/ http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/wyoming-telehealth-consortium-launches-new-website/#comments Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:11:54 +0000 Sara_Rivera http://www.nrtrc.org/?p=2032 Continue reading →]]> The Wyoming Telehealth Consortium has launched their new website today.  It is full of great information on telehealth in Wyoming and beyond.  On the home page you will find a short video describing what telemedicine is like in Wyoming.  So click on the link and go check it out!  http://wyomingtelehealth.org/

]]> http://www.nrtrc.org/blog/wyoming-telehealth-consortium-launches-new-website/feed/ 0