Thanks to all for all your continued work and interest. Here are a few updates!
We have been busily working on the continuation grant from OAT for year three! It went in the mail on June 2nd. We expect all to go smoothly.
Deb and Sandy attended the NM Telehealth Alliance Statewide Meeting in May. Deb presented a review of REACH activities for the last six months, with data on patient and provider satisfaction, as well as some of the cost analyses for that period. We learned about other programs that are also implementing telehealth initiatives in the state. We heard the governor talk about his support of the technology. The conference will happen again next year. If any of our partners are interested, we will share the information as it comes out.
A REACH team (3 members) has been accepted to attend a web-based training seminar. This will allow us to develop web-based training pilot as part of year three for CEU and CME programs.
This legislature passed the NM Telehealth Commission Act, which establishes a state-level Telehealth Commission that will: “...encourage a single, statewide effort to create a telehealth system that
Deb continues to work with the Center for Telehealth and the NM Telehealth Alliance to work toward a written policy for Medicaid support for payment of services over teleconferencing. There are no new statutes, but there is support at the state level. We will keep you posted.
We learned that, when used, people (families and providers) were in general very satisfied with the experience, and willing to try again, even in those cases of technical difficulties.
For trainings, there were trainings in 12 different sites, 44 trainings, with 485 participants between September 2004 and February 2005 (amazing!). We calculated actual costs, and projected cost savings to site programs and to us as providers (thanks Arlene/CARC for working through estimates with me from the provider side!). We calculated that if a program were to send two people to five trainings in Albuquerque, when required to spend at least one night, the savings to the program could be as much as $5,557. Patient satisfaction rated high in all areas. Provider satisfaction did as well. We know people could prefer face to face if it were possible; however, we know that people are willing to use the technology again.
We had 40 clinical encounters, ranging from speech language evals & therapy,
behavioral consults, to pediatrician-parent consults. Patient and providers
again noted favorable responses on the whole, and cost savings for families
were projected to be significant.
We still have many questions about what is appropriate for telehealth, and
what may not be. We are encouraged that we are identifying uses that seem
to benefit all concerned!
We enjoyed the training that Nancy Rasch did in May. We are looking forward to the June training and then participating as the live audience for Mark Carter's training in July. The consultation with Fletcher and Project Set was very informative and beneficial for the parents. The follow up visit with Fletcher in June enhanced the information provided during the telehealth consultation. May was our "fall apart month" as we lost two exceptional, experienced early interventionists due to military transfers and personal family reasons. Zia will be also experience more changes and shifting gears due to the retirement of Dave Olsen on June 30, 2005. We have begged him not to retire; however, he tells us he has the travel bug. Sherill Bodwell will be Dave's replacement. Gloria Barnes will become the Lead Early Interventionist and Site Coordinator for the REACH Program. Thanks to the REACH staff for help and patience as we move forward with the REACH telehealth project.
Representing community partnership in the REACH program, Cherry Cullen held
a videoconference with representatives from the Federal Administration on
Developmental Disabilities. She discussed the effectiveness of videophone
technology in serving huge rural areas with little or no service providers
available.
Life Quest Early Intervention is providing services in the northern part of
Catron County for the first time. Videoconferencing will be utilized to provide
services in this very remote area.
Child Development Center continues to enjoy the trainings. We have a couple of new referrals. One of the big successes was a psychology/behavioral consult via telehealth that resulted eventually in a local referral that would otherwise have been very difficult. The community seems to have a positive attitude toward telehealth, and we are still looking for those areas of need. Marketing and getting the word out is what’s needed. It’s innovative, creative, and coming along!
The month of May the HMS Lordsburg site had no consults with REACH. Life
Quest had two scheduled, which were cancelled. Missy Klump form Life Quest
has consults scheduled for June. On June 17th HMS will participate with REACH
Telehealth Network on Early Intervention Seminar Series, which is entitled
"Prenatal Drug Exposure and Shaken Baby Syndrome", which will be
held from 11:30-1:00 p.m. HMS always has a good response to these trainings.
HMS, through Sangre de Cristo, has been notified by Austin Buff, who was
in
Lordsburg and Silver City, that telehealth equipment will be furnished to
HMS-Lordsburg and Silver City facilities. This upgrade will furnish a 36-inch
monitor and also connect with a T1 line installed by Sangre de Cristo, which
will connect with Western New Mexico University. This equipment may be used
for all telehealth trainings and consults. This will update the current equipment
being used for HMS REACH Program. The time frame for this occurring is by
September 2005.
We have four new Network Partners coming on for year 3: MORE/DSI in Gallup
with Pam Bell, Growing in Beauty in Farmington & Gallup with Paula Seanez,
New Vistas in Las Vegas with Magi Gerety, and Roundtree/PMS in Farmington
with Jyl Adair. We are scheduling site visits with all sites in August to
bring them on board, and look forward to planning for the next year of REACH.
Welcome to all our new sites!
