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Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Blog

Patient Data Breaches: Threat to Health IT & Telemedicine in 2016 and Beyond

By Jared Alfson on Jun 01, 2016

$363. That’s how much a single stolen patient health record is worth on the dark market, according to data from the Ponemon Institute, making it worth more than any other piece of data from any other industry. In fact, your medical information is worth 10 times more than your credit card number.

As healthcare becomes increasingly more digital through EHR adoption and telemedicine applications, the information systems the data runs on are becoming more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Telesimulation: Increasing Learning Opportunities, from Middle School Students to First Responders and Health-Care Experts

By Jane Erikson on May 04, 2016

When middle-school students seem unsure of their ability to pursue a career in health care, Allan Hamilton, MD, professor of surgery and director of the Arizona Simulation Technology and Education Center (ASTEC), has a quick response.

“Do you know how to play video games,” he asks. “Well, yeah, of course,” the student will say. “Well, that’s who we’re looking for now,” Hamilton replies. “People who are tech savvy, know how to be good members of a team, and are compassionate. If you meet those qualifications, you’re a candidate for a career in healthcare.”

The way young folks adapt to the virtual world of games like “Minecraft” and “Heroes of the Storm” seems to transfer well to practicing laparoscopy and other simulated procedures in the ASTEC lab.

Pathway to Successful Telehealth Legislation

By Dale C. Alverson, MD on Apr 06, 2016

Telehealth is offering improved access to healthcare services across America. Information and communication technologies are now becoming more affordable, easier to use, secure, and applicable to a broad spectrum of healthcare services, providing the right care, at the right time, and the right place. In light of these advances in telehealth, developing new state legislation that facilitates the meaningful use of telehealth is becoming even more important in order to appropriately address barriers and gaps in care to all citizens. Successful legislation should address, at least in part, the Triple Aim: 1) Improve the patient’s experience with the health system that is more patient centered, 2) Improve health outcome, community and public health, 3) Decrease costs without sacrificing quality.

Hospitals and the Open-door Transfer Policy: Can We Do a Better Job?

By Alan Pitt on Mar 02, 2016

Several weeks ago I was presented with a CT scan on a new patient, a young woman with a severe headache who had been transferred overnight by air ambulance from another hospital. As a center that specializes in diseases of the nervous system, my facility, the Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI), routinely accepts people from around the country. And since this woman had been sent to us because the CT scan from the outside facility was interpreted as her possibly having blood in the brain, no further questions were asked. Sounds like responsible and compassionate healthcare, right? But there was a hitch: The patient didn't need to be transferred at all.

5 Ways Telemedicine Can Improve Your Practice Revenue

By Teresa Iafolla on Feb 03, 2016

We all know telemedicine brings huge benefits to patient care - from improving care accessibility to reducing medication noncompliance and hospital readmissions.

But telemedicine can also be a path to better practice profitability. Adding telemedicine services to your practice can actually drive up your revenue.

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