Telepsychiatry program earns $100K grant
The Telepsychiatry Improves Outcomes in Frontier Communities program in Boise, Idaho, has received a $100,000 grant in conjunction with an award from Premier as part of its Premier Cares Award program.
Premier is a Charlotte, N.C.-based company that brings together healthcare providers to develop healthcare innovations. The grant will go toward a two-physician telehealth mental program in Idaho which uses telepresence to see pediatric and adult patients for mental health consultations, according to a release.
This winning program is a collaboration with Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Psychiatrists more than 200 miles away help treat patients in rural Orofino and neighboring St. Mary’s Hospital in Cottonwood, Idaho. Patients travel only to their local doctor’s office to see a psychiatrist hundreds of miles away.
Psychiatrists treating the patients are able to chart directly into the electronic medical record at local clinics, ensuring continuity of care despite the distance. Cost of care for those enrolled in the program has decreased by more than half. The program has received state and national recognition for its excellence and the care it is providing.
Premier also granted five $24,000 awards to other health initiatives across the country focusing on reuse of medical equipment, diabetes prevention, nutrition, a mobile clinic and fall prevention.
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.