Arizona Telemedicine Program Profiled in National Journal

The renowned Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP), established in 1996 at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, came up against a workforce roadblock in 2013.Hospitals, clinics and other health-care organizations did not know how to connect with the physicians, nurses and other health professionals who were available to help meet the organizations’ telehealth needs. Pima County Medical Society member Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, co-founder and director of the ATP, came up with a solution: a “Service Provider Showcase (SPS)” that would link the organizations with the telemedicine professionals who were trained and available to fill their needs.

 The first Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase (SPS), held in Phoenix in October 2014, drew 243 attendees, including 35 telehealth vendors. Those numbers grew with the second SPS, held in June 2016 in Phoenix, and the third, SPS 2017, which brought in 411 attendees with 41 vendors and 29 speakers, along with 38 poster presentations. An article, “The Third National Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase Conference: Advancing Telehealth Partnerships,” published in the May 31 edition of the journalTelemedicine and e-Health, highlights the success of SPS 2017, held in October in Phoenix. 

Among the presentations at SPS 2017 were:

• “Telehealth as a Strategic Asset: Are You Ready?,” Alan C. Roga, MD, who heads the direct-to-consumer service Teladoc
• “Embracing Direct to Consumer Telemedicine Beyond On-Demand,” Brian Wayling, assistant vice president for telehealth services, Intermountain Healthcare, Utah
• “Saving a Rural Hospital Through Telemedicine,” James J. Dickson, CEO, Copper Queen Community Hospital, a critical access hospital in Bisbee, Ariz.

Renamed the Service Provider Summit, this year’s event will be held in Glendale, Ariz., Oct. 8-9. SPS 2018’s conference partner is Scottsdale-based Global Med. Dr. Weinstein is honorary chair . Serving as co-chairs are Dale C. Alverson, MD, medical director, Center for Telehealth, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and Elizabeth A. Krupinski, PhD, co-director, Southwest Telehealth Resource Center.

 For more information and to register for SPS 2018, please visit ttspsworld.com