2004 - 2005 Grantee Directory - Idaho

Network Partners: Community: 12 hospitals, 2 clinics, 1 dental practice, 1 hospital network (5 hospitals), & 4 state associations. University: The College of Pharmacy, Idaho Health Sciences Library, Dental Sciences, Clinical Psychology, Dept. of Family Medicine, and Hispanic Health Research & Education Center. Corporate: Healthwise, Inc. & Well Diagnostics.

Project Purpose: Improve access in rural and frontier Idaho and support a statewide telehealth resource center designed to improve access across the spectrum of health care, including oral, physical, and mental/behavioral health. The program takes a three-pronged approach to improving access by (a) increasing the number of providers through new and upgraded education, (b) extending the reach of existing providers by using telehealth-based supervision, consultation, home health and (c) preserving the existing workforce through professional support and increasing their professional quality of life and retention.

Outcomes Expected: The program has a variety of expected outcomes and methods of measuring them. Below is a generalized summary of the evaluation of the project. 1) Increased Professional Quality of Life - outcome measures: Life Status Review & ProQOL (http://www.isu.edu/~bhstamm/tests.htm), increased recruitment and retention, increased access to professional supports, increased use of educational and consultative activity, perceived increase in ability to do job, increased perception of changing practice habits based on additional knowledge and resources. 2) Patient/provider/student satisfaction - outcome measures: 1 to 10-item self-report. 3) Increased use of telehealth tools (education, consultation, and informatics) - Outcome measures: OAT GPRA Performance measures, automated web utilization data, quarterly self- report of utilization data, key informants, focus groups, and public health data.

Service Area: Entire state of Idaho. The 44 counties include 36 HPSAs, 30 DPSAs, 44 MPSAs, 28 MUAs.

Services Provided: Technical support, health informatics, clinical services, new & continuing health professions education, and the Tel Ida Toolbox, a free health informatics website. Specializations include professional quality of life, geriatrics, traumatic brain injury, community integration, mental health, health services, health economics, traumatic stress, and cultural competency.

Equipment: Wide range of equipment and bandwidth, as requested by partners. Emphasis is on interoperability, data security, and HIPAA compliance.

Transmission: Hybrid, utilizing what is available (i.e. POTS, ISDN, ADSL, frame relay, cable, and wireless). IDAHO Expanding Telehealth to North Idaho Districts (EXTEND) North Idaho Rural Health Consortium (NIRHC)

Network Partners: Five northern Idaho county hospitals in St. Maries, Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, Coeur d' Alene, and Kellogg; three school districts in Wallace, Kootenai, and Priest River; and North Idaho Behavioral Health.

Project Purpose: 1. Extend existing service providers, by further developing and expanding telehealth treatment applications, to better serve the rural population of northern Idaho. 2. Increase access to quality healthcare and improve patient safety through the use of telecommunications and digital technologies specifically in the areas of mental health, rehabilitative therapies for children with special needs, pathology, pharmacy, and emergency care.

Outcomes Expected: EXTEND will evaluate of the feasibility, quality of care, cost-effectiveness, satisfaction, and outcomes data related to delivering healthcare using telehealth techniques. Quantitative and qualitative measurements are integrated into each telehealth application.

Service Area: 5 counties in northern Idaho.

Services Provided: Telepharmacy (2004), telepathology (2004), teleER (2004), telerehabilitative therapies for children with special needs (2003), telemental health (2002), professional continuing medical education (1996), distance learning (1996), and administrative meetings (1996).

Equipment: Tandberg 880 videoconferencing unit, Polycom FX viewstation, and Vtel TC2000 videoconferencing unit.

Transmission: IP Wide Area Network (WAN) between hospitals with Primary Rate ISDN gateway access to the school district networks.