June 15, 2008
VTC technology recently allowed a YK Delta family to visit with their child who was undergoing cancer treatment in the Lower 48.
Video Teleconference: Connecting Patients to Healthcare
By Rhys Tony, Network Manager
Video Teleconferencing, also known as VTC, is an emerging technology at the forefront of distance-based healthcare. Recently, the technology has caused a buzz throughout YKHC, as the organization was awarded a grant to purchase and install equipment within all Village Clinics, Subregional Clinics (SRCs), and Bethel facilities by October, 2008.
VTC equipment allows two or more locations to not only hear each other but to also see participants in another location using a video camera and television.
Providers in Bethel, Anchorage, and other hospitals in the state and country, will have the capabilities to connect with Health Aides in remote villages and see patients as they are being examined during an appointment. In August 2007, VTC allowed an 8 year-old patient at Seattle Children's Hospital to see and hear her family and friends in Chevak.
Though this type of communication has been in operation on a small scale within YKHC for years, the expansion of the technology will benefit all areas of health care and the organization. VTC offers the ability to connect not only providers with patients, but employees in various locations with one another, decreasing the travel expenses usually involved.
Specifically, within the Behavioral Health division, the amount of patients seen will increase, while decreasing travel costs. "Through telepsychiatry, our psychiatrist can be in Bethel, or anywhere in the world, and can connect to any of YKHC's 48 Village clinics with this technology," said Laura Baez, Director of Behavioral Health. "VTC has become a necessity with the rising cost of fuel."
VTC will also allow YKHC to develop and expand training opportunities for employees. YKHC's mandatory New Employee Orientation (NEO) requires that all village-based employees travel to Bethel for two days the first week of their employment. Ed Buckley, Director of Human Resources, estimates the annual travel costs associated with NEO is near $300,000. YKHC will be able to offer training to village-based employees within their own clinics while saving nearly a half million dollars annually.
"This technology provides a new avenue for YKHC to meet its patient and business needs," stated David Hodges, Chief Information Officer. "This innovative equipment will bring YKHC one step towards our mission of achieving excellent health by connecting people across 75,000 miles of roadless terrain, and even around the world."
