UAMS Wins National Telemedicine Award

By David Robinson

UAMS received the President’s Institutional Award for the Advancement of Telemedicine during the American Telemedicine Association’s annual meeting in Tampa, Fla., on May 2.

Recognizing UAMS for its institutional leadership and the breadth, depth and effectiveness of its telemedicine programs and services, the association said UAMS was a model for the implementation of telemedicine/telehealth and e-health.

The award was accepted by Curtis Lowery, M.D., director of the UAMS Center for Distance Health and chairman of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“Health care is evolving faster than ever, and telemedicine is becoming an increasingly important component of the overall health care delivery system,” Lowery said. “UAMS is at the forefront of this movement and I’m proud to be part of it.”

In announcing the award, the American Telemedicine Association said, “UAMS has distinguished itself as an international telehealth leader by using a wide array of telemedicine technologies to address significant health care challenges throughout Arkansas. Despite longstanding economic, educational and health disparities among Arkansas’ rural populations, UAMS has invested in telehealth solutions to improve the health of their underserved and most vulnerable.”

Consideration for the award also included the impact on the population served, including special needs groups, academic output such as peer-reviewed research and presentations, targeted education programs, number of sites, business case or business model, long-term sustainability, and effective partnerships and collaboration.

The association noted that in 2009, UAMS Antenatal & Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System (ANGELS) made 151,097 obstetrical support calls, conducted 2,095 telemedicine consultations and facilitated over 1,000 high-risk maternal transports. Their academic faculty has made significant telemedicine-related contributions to the medical, technical and educational body of literature with over 38 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presentations and posters.

UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Related Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a 540,000-square-foot hospital; a statewide network of regional centers; and six institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research Institute and the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging. It is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 2,836 students and 761 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including nearly 1,150 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com.