April 6

SIU Med School Building Telehealth Programs in Downstate Illinois

Every Tuesday morning, Illinois physicians in eight downstate sites gather around TV monitors for a medical conference originating in Springfield in order to keep their medical expertise up to date. The conferences are part of a telehealth initiative being developed by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, which can now link to a total of 45 sites. Doctor-patient encounters are gradually being added, helping alleviate the health care shortages in central and southern Illinois.

SIU's Medicine Grand Rounds, major weekly teaching conferences, are presented in Springfield for faculty and community physicians, residents and medical students each September through May. They also are videoconferenced from the Wedeberg Conference Room at Memorial Medical Center to conference rooms at seven other downstate locations - Fairfield, Harrisburg, Havana, Jacksonville, Marion, Nashville and Olney. Four other hospitals have expressed interest in connecting for the Grand Rounds conferences.

"Medicine changes so quickly, so every week the national visiting professors and our own SIU faculty provide updates on the latest diagnostic and treatment options," explains Dr. David E. Steward, professor and chair of internal medicine. "Those attending in Springfield and at the remote sites also have the opportunity to discuss difficult or unique cases and physicians can share how they put what they learn into clinical practice."

SIU School of Medicine has used a three-year $1.68 million federal grant along with ongoing funding from the State of Illinois of $550,000 annually to stimulate telehealth activities within the medical school and downstate. "I am pleased to have been able to support the telehealth efforts at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine," said Congressman John Shimkus, who secured federal funding in 2000 for SIU's telehealth program. "With the help of this technology, physicians throughout downstate Illinois are now able to join faculty at the medical school in learning about the latest developments in health care."

The federal funds have provided equipment in Springfield and several hospital sites. Some downstate hospitals have received technology support from the Illinois Department of Public Health's Critical Access Hospital telehealth grants. "The medical school is using these and other teaching activities as the first step in developing a downstate telehealth program, something we believe is vital to SIU fulfilling its mission in the state," said Dr. J. Kevin Dorsey, dean and provost of the medical school.

Organizations currently participating are Fairfield Memorial Hospital, Harrisburg Medical Center, Jacksonville Developmental Center, Mason District Hospital, Richland Memorial Hospital, Veterans Administration Hospital and Washington County Hospital. "The Grand Rounds talks make it very convenient for rural physicians to stay in touch with what's new in medicine," added Dr. Larry Jones, a family practitioner in Harrisburg. "In essence, it's like we are at the medical school every week." "These videoconferences allow our local physicians to stay in touch and consult with their colleagues at the medical school without the extensive travel, which in reality would not happen," agreed Harry Wolin, chief executive officer for Mason District Hospital in Havana. "With videoconferencing, they can participate fully, asking questions and seeing the slides. It means our local physicians have real-time access to current medical information for immediate use here in Havana and other rural communities."

Last March, SIU started providing limited clinical services with physicians seeing patients in other sites through the use of a videoconference connection. A twice a month dermatology clinic is held with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Marion. Several dermatology and endocrinology consultations have been provided on an as-needed basis for patients at the Chester Mental Health Center in Chester. Patients also have been seen for post-surgical follow-up exams at SIU's family medicine centers in Carbondale, Decatur and Quincy. SIU neurologists have seen patients at Richland Memorial Hospital in Olney.

To date, 45 organizations in 41 communities have participated in 18 various educational activities. The Illinois Health Education Consortium, Illinois Critical Access Hospitals Network, Illinois Rural Health Association and American Cancer Society are among SIU's major telehealth partners. In 2003 alone, 117.5 hours of education were provided to 798 participants from 31 different organizations.
The Telehealth Networks and Programs at SIU School of Medicine can be reached in Springfield at 217-545-7830. Deborah E. Seale is executive director, dseale@siumed.edu.

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