ATA To Launch Telemedicine Consumer Awareness Initiative.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 2003

The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is launching a Telemedicine Consumer Awareness Initiative at its Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida, April 27-30, 2003.

This initiative is aimed at educating consumers about the benefits of telemedicine in improving access to care by reducing geographic and time barriers, enhancing quality by establishing ongoing links between providers, and possibly containing cost by diminishing the need for travel and avoiding unnecessary duplication of service.

Some of the telemedicine already helping consumers include the remote monitoring of home-bound and elderly patients, remote diagnosis in radiology and pathology, the provision of second opinion by specialists, remote cardiography and fetal monitoring, child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health consultations, care for rural trauma patients, disaster response, and robotic surgery, to name a few.

The basic information technology that supports telemedicine technology has matured, and is now widely used in industry, commerce, education, transportation, and entertainment. Health care consumers may be the biggest driving force in the future expansion of telemedicine services. Consumer use of the Internet in search of health and health care information is increasing at a very high rate.

"The statistics are compelling," says Joseph Kvedar, MD, Director of Telemedicine for Partners Healthcare Systems and ATA Board Member. "About 7.5 million patients consult the Internet every day looking for health information - compared to only 3 million who visit a doctor in the office. Consumers are ready to utilize telemedicine when it is offered and employers are moving to include telemedicine in company health plans to cut costs and meet the needs of their employees."

ATA's Annual Meeting Opening Plenary, 4:00pm-5:30pm, Sunday, April 27, will feature the consumer perspective in the delivery of health care using telemedicine. A new Public Service Announcement, being developed by ATA and its Industry Advisory Board and produced by Partners Health Care, will debut at the session.

Representatives from several consumer groups, including senior citizens, the disability community, correctional care, veterans, astronauts, children, nursing homes and chronic health care will be attending the Annual ATA Meeting in Orlando

Speakers at the Plenary Session include:

COL Ronald K. Poropatich, MD
President, American Telemedicine Association
Washington, DC

Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS
United States Surgeon General Commander, USPHS
Commissioned Corps Assistant Secretary for Health (Acting)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Washington, DC

Gloria Wilder Brathwaite, MD
Director of Mobile Health Programs,
Children's National Medical Center
Washington, DC

Lieutenant General James Peake
Surgeon General, US Army, Commander,
U.S. Army Medical Command
Falls Church, VA

A major component of the initiative is a scientific documentation of telemedicine's benefits for consumers. The ATA's official Journal, Telemedicine Journal and e-health, is dedicating a special issue to "Success Stories in Telemedicine," to correspond with the launching of this initiative.

The Spring of 2003 issue of the Journal features concrete examples from several countries that demonstrate the effective use of telemedicine in addressing serious health care needs of consumers in a variety of settings.

The ATA exhibit hall features products and services that are part of telemedicine programs all over the world. In addition, agencies such as the Department of Defense and the Veterans Health Administration demonstrate the critical use of telemedicine in the nation's military and showcase technology transfer opportunities for consumers everywhere.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ATA & THE ANNUAL MEETING, CALL 202-223-3333 OR VISIT THE ATA WEB SITE AT WWW.AMERICANTELEMED.ORG