Photo by Matt Kelly

Dr. Karen S. Rheuban (right), medical director of the University’s telemedicine program, discusses the benefits of telemedicine with Debra Lipes (on screen), chief operating officer of the Bath County Community Hospital, during a demonstration of the video conference function Friday.

November 11, 2003 -- The University’s telemedicine program, which connects U.Va. specialists to rural patients, would benefit from rules the Federal Communications Commission is considering this week.

Michael F. Powell, chairman of the FCC, said last Friday during an appearance at the Medical Center that the commission wants to increase participation for rural health care providers and by reducing the costs for the dedicated lines and Internet service involved. On Thursday, the FCC will consider increasing the subsidy for telecommunication lines, according to Carol E. Mattey, the FCC’s deputy bureau chief for wire line competition.

“Telemedicine is the use of advanced telecommunications and other technologies for medical diagnosis, ongoing patient care and health-related distance learning,” said Dr. Karen S. Rheuban, medical director of the University’s telemedicine program, during the program. “The mission of our office is just an extension of what our health system does everyday.”

Telemedicine allows people in sparsely populated areas to communicate with specialists through video-conferencing, X-rays and CAT scans that can be transmitted for interpretation. It also enables doctors to diagnose and monitor illnesses over hundreds of miles. The Medical Center connects with 43 rural health care providers through telemedicine and has served 5,700 patients with 25 specialties. The system also provides health education for patients and professional education for doctors, which Rheuban noted helps economic development in rural areas and has homeland security applications.

But access is expensive, said Rheuban. Before 1995, access cost $5,800 a month for a connection with Wise, she said. Legislation and subsidies have cut the costs to $320 a month and increased subsidies would further lower the price. Telemedicine lines are subsidized through the $6 billion Universal Service Fund, Mattey said, and the money is raised through taxes on long-distance providers, which is usually passed on to consumers as a line-item on their telephone bills.

In a demonstration with health care providers and patients at the Saltville Medical Center, including Alexandria Bartley, 8, who has used telemedicine for follow-up visits with doctors treating a tumor on her face, talked with Rheuban via a video link. Lisa Hubbard, Alexandria’s mother, broke into tears describing how much the telemedicine program has meant to her. Rheuban also talked with Debra Lipes, chief operating officer of the Bath County Community Hospital, who explained the impact of telemedicine on her hospital’s ability to diagnose ailments.

Telemedicine is making a major impact on health care delivery in rural parts of the state.

“We are saving lives and making lives better,” said Rheuban.