New FCC Website for Rural Healthcare Program – Rural health and technology presentations now on MSU’s Web

The Federal Communications Commission Announced last week the launch of a website regarding the Rural Health Care Pilot Program. The website provides a one-stop shop for information regarding the program including news and program information.

The pilot program will provide up to 85 percent of the costs related to developing broadband networks for telehealth and telemedicine programs. Visit the new website here: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html

(Many thanks to Southern Compass http://www.southern.org for passing this along. Russ)

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Rural health and technology presentations now on MSU’s Web

Healthcare professionals who are interested in technology’s impact on rural healthcare can access several professional conference presentations through Montana State University’s Web site.

The materials were first presented at a summer 2006 conference called "Imagining the Digital Healthcare Future in the Rural West," hosted at MSU by Extended University’s Burns Technology Center.

One presentation, "National Perspective on Rural Healthcare" by Thomas Norris of the University of Washington School of Medicine, offers an overview of demographics and trends in rural healthcare. A presentation on digital health care by Thelma McClosky Armstrong of the Billings-based Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network shows existing and potential networks in Montana.

Other presentations cover goals and projects from the National Institutes of Health; a case study on an electronic health records collaborative in Deer Lodge, Powell and Granite Counties; and a demonstration of how electronic transmission of an electrocardiagram image affected heart patients’ treatment in Seeley Lake and Anaconda.

To access the presentations, go directly to a list of presentations at: http://eu.montana.edu/digitalhealthcare/presentations.htm or to Extended University’s Web site at http://eu.montana.edu, then click on the link to presentations on the lower left of the page.

Suzi Taylor (406) 994-7957 or [email protected]