AMDA Foundation - AHRQ Director Testifies on HHS Telemedicine Activities

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Vol XIV, May `05

AHRQ Director Testifies on HHS Telemedicine Activities

Vol XIV, May `05

In recent testimony before Congress, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Director (AHRQ) Carolyn Clancy, MD, discussed the government's long-standing commitment to understanding and advancing the effective use of health information technologies, including telemedicine, to improve the health of American consumers. She explained that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded more than $250 million in telemedicine projects in every state since 1988, with over 400 communities benefiting from these grants.

Clancy also noted that AHRQ's ongoing review of the scientific literature in the field indicates that the evidence base for telemedicine is still incomplete but improving. She noted that telemedicine has long been viewed as a promising tool for enhanced access to health care services, improved patient safety, and timely medical decision making. "Widespread adoption of individual telemedicine applications in the private sector will continue to grow slowly; however, unless creative ways are found to speed the development of solid, scientifically generalizable findings of their effectiveness," Clancy noted.

"Telemedicine has great potential for use in long term care," researcher Rita Kobb, MS, MN, GNP-BC, told the AMDA Foundation. She also observed that there are numerous grants available to support pilot projects involving telemedicine. To locate grants that might be appropriate for your facility, Kobb suggested starting with the following Web sites:

Another source of potential funding opportunities is The Health Funds Grants Resources Yearbook: Tenth Edition. To learn more about this resource or to order, visit http://store.hin.com/product.asp?itemid=2632.