Aspirus officials announced Thursday they will use a nearly $500,000 grant to install video cameras and monitors at its medical facilities so elderly and rural patients can meet with doctors who are hundreds of miles away.
The Aspirus Health Foundation received $486,707 for its telemedicine program, one of 106 projects that received funding as part of the $34.7 million in grants the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently issued to expand access to health care services in rural areas throughout the country.
Kalynn Pempek, the executive director for the foundation, said the money will allow patients in rural Wisconsin and Upper Michigan to meet with their local doctor and communicate with medical specialists at other Aspirus facilities without having to travel.
“We believe this initiative will have a huge impact on thousands of people,” Pempek said.
Aspirus must provide matching funds for the grant and already has spent more than $200,000 on the project, Information Technology Director Chris Plaisance said. The equipment will be purchased and installed during the next three years at about 30 Aspirus medical facilities.
Nancy Campbell-Kelz, director of Aspirus VNA Extended Care, said patients with heart or cancer-related issues will benefit most from the telemedicine program. As an example, a patient in Vilas County can have his personal physician in Vilas County perform tests and a specialist in Wausau view the activity, access the test results electronically and provide instant analysis and medical recommendations.
The concept of reaching out to patients using telecommunications already is practiced by local medical organizations, including Aspirus. Aspirus has had psychiatry appointments conducted via a video link for the past two years, Campbell-Kelz said.
“Whether we got this grant or not, (telemedicine) is an initiative we at Aspirus are committed to,” Plaisance said.
By Jeff Starck
Wausau Daily Herald