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Arizona Telemedicine Program: implementing a statewide health care network
K M McNeill1, R S Weinstein, M J Holcomb
1Arizona Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson 85724-5067, USA. kevin@radiology.arizona.edu
Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA
|October 7, 1998
Summary
The Arizona Telemedicine Program established a private asynchronous transfer mode network to improve healthcare access for rural populations. This initiative focused on cost-effective telemedicine services and professional education.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Telecommunications Engineering
Background:
- The Arizona Telemedicine Program was established in 1996 to address healthcare disparities in rural areas.
- Key objectives included enhancing access to specialty care and health professional education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the experiences and methods involved in establishing a private asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network.
- To detail the implementation of a telecommunication infrastructure for telemedicine services.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a private asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network by program personnel.
- Utilizing both store-and-forward and real-time interactive telemedicine applications.
- Network implementation occurred between June and December 1997 after extensive planning and vendor evaluation.
Main Results:
- Successful establishment of a private ATM network infrastructure.
- Facilitation of telemedicine services for underserved rural populations.
- The network implementation provided a foundation for expanding telemedicine capabilities.
Conclusions:
- The establishment of the private ATM network was a critical step in delivering telemedicine services.
- The project demonstrated a viable method for creating robust telecommunication infrastructures for rural healthcare.
- Experiences gained provide valuable insights for future telemedicine network development.