Southwest Telehealth Resource Center Blog

SEARCH 2023 – The National Telehealth Research Symposium connects health researchers, academics and visionaries in telehealth and telemedicine to share findings and foster research partnerships. The annual conference, hosted by the Society for Education and Advancement in Research in Connected Health, focuses on research of telemedicine, telehealth, eHealth, and other healthcare technologies. This year’s conference on November 7-9 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania will feature research presentations on AI, behavioral health, and more.

COVID-19 is frequently attributed with introducing healthcare providers to the world of telehealth, but for a hospital system serving patients in Colorado and Kansas, the expansion of telehealth has been the norm for almost a decade.

With growth comes a need to negotiate space in tight hospital settings. HealthONE’s remedy was to bring all telehealth under one roof at their Denver headquarters by creating the Virtual Care Center.

“This telehealth conference has been over a year in the making. We've been wanting to do this for some time ... I'm thrilled that this is happening,” John Packham said, welcoming healthcare providers gathered at University of Nevada–Reno, simultaneously connecting with others located in Carson City at the Nevada Health Centers, Las Vegas at UNLV, and virtually.

Packham, Associate Dean for the Office of Statewide Initiatives, University of Nevada–Reno, School of Medicine, added the timing of the conference was perfect with the dust setting on the pandemic.

Until earlier this year, newborn infants in the Four Corners region of New Mexico, born prematurely or with unique health problems requiring specialty care, were typically transported to neonatal intensive care units at larger hospitals hours from home.

According to Dr. Bradley Scoggins, the purchase of an Amwell telemedicine cart and a new telehealth partnership with Presbyterian Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team in Albuquerque, NM has helped keep more infants at the San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington, NM.

From Dr. Steven Hansen’s Arizona Humane Society office, you may have heard a sigh of relief when Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1053 into law on May 9. Beginning in August, veterinarians licensed in the state will legally be able to provide veterinary care through telemedicine, a care alternative many have become accustomed to on the human side of healthcare.

Currently, there’s a six-week waiting list for pet owners who need the Humane Society’s subsidized services at their clinics in Maricopa County. Bringing telemedicine into the picture will make a difference.