UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, July 9, 1997
9
Doctors treat rural patients via telemedicine
Interactive plan reaches 22 towns
By Kirsten Havner
Kansan staff writer
Charles Zaylor, a psychiatrist at the University of Kansas Medical Center, consults with his patients regularly. Zaylor and his patients are face-to-face, but his patients are in Pitsburg, Kan., and Zaylor is in his office in Kansas City, Kan.
Zaylor treats his patients in Pittsburg through an interactive television monitor.
This scene is not from a science fiction movie. The technology Zaylor uses is called telemedicine. In Kansas, the program was launched in 1991 and now is the fourth most active telemedicine program in the United States.
The only difference between a
telemedicine consultation and a regular consultation is cameras and television screens at both sites.
Through the use of telecommunications, patients at 22 rural sites in Kansas have access to specialists at the Med Center without having to drive hundreds of miles, said Pam Whitten, director of telemedicine services.
A high resolution color camera allows specialists to perform visual examinations, and a specially adapted electronic stethoscope sends breath and cardiac sounds across the network. The specialist can hear and see the patient while an on-site practitioner follows the specialist's instructions and performs a physical examination.
"The patients would rather see the specialist in person, but people in rural Kansas don't have that luxury without hours of driving," Whiten said. "Telemedicine does not want to replace physicians, but it is a good
What I like about telemedicine is that it reaches out to all areas of Kansas."
Charles Zaylor psychiatrist at the Med Center
substitute for rural areas where there is little access to the specialist."
The program's main objective is to maintain health care in rural Kansas, Whitten said. The money stays in rural hospitals and in the towns.
Rural areas historically have had a difficult time keeping physicians and attracting specialists. Through telemedicine, rural areas can access the technology and specialists available at the Med Center, Whiten said.
She said getting a telemedicine appointment was easy. If a rural physician wants a second opinion, the physician contacts an appointments hot line.
Med Center specialists can request tests be performed and information be sent to the Med Center before the consultation. With help from an onsite practitioner, the specialist performs the examination.
The focus of the program is service first and technology second, Whiten said.
"What I like most about telemedicine is that it reaches out to all areas of Kansas. I can treat people all over the state without leaving the Med Center, all in one day."
Through the technology of telemedicine, Charles Zaylor, psychiatrist for the University of Kansas Medical Center, holds a consultation with a patient in Pittsburg, Kan., just one of the 22 sites currently active across the state.
Winging it: International sky guys
Above: The Lawrence Municipal Airport is experiencing increased traffic during the air show, but pilots have not reported any problems. After a freestyle flight competition, Janusz Kasperek of Poland leads the air show's competitive rankings. Four American pilots are ranked in the top 10. Doug Jardine, Canada, is in Bth place.
Gate Garber / KANSAN
Right: Carolyn Wagner and Blake and Dylan Shmalberger watch the Advanced World Aerobatics Championship at the Lawrence Municipal Airport yesterday. Wagner brought the boys to watch the show. They said they enjoyed watching the planes more than they enjoyed playing Nintendo. Above: Flags signify the 14 different countries represented by competing pilots.
Gale Garber/KANSAN
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