Colorado to be telemedicine standard

Thanks to not one, but two grants from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the Colorado Telehealth Network will become a reality.

A consortium led by the Colorado Hospital Association will oversee the project to create one of the largest healthcare information networks in the country. The consortium is teaming up with the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, which received the other grant from the FCC.

This project was one of the main campaign promises of Governor Bill Ritter. He said:

For too long, rural communities have struggled to secure and retain providers and receive the kind of healthcare they deserve. This is such an important step towards helping rural patients secure quality healthcare when and where they need it.

The Colorado Telehealth Network will have three goals:

1. Share the benefits of telemedicine access to primary and specialty care patients who normally would have to travel large distances to receive care;
2. Ensure that healthcare facilities are able to use available technologies and expand their efforts in the area of health information technology; and 
3. Coordination of care in a public health emergency by allowing healthcare providers to share critical information

Telemedicine can allow patients in rural areas to get services that they normally couldn't get without driving long distances from the comfort of their homes by using the Internet as a communications tool.

The president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association has high hopes for the initiative:

This major milestone will bring Colorado one step closer to putting advanced Internet technology to use in healthcare. It will significantly enhance access to quality healthcare in rural Colorado.

Colorado to have one of the largest healthcare information networks in the nation (Government Technology)

Colorado Telehealth Network (website)