1. Telemedicine Technology Use Plan Brenda Janot Telemedicine Coordinator

2. Rationale
A well designed technology use plan for telemedicine education, creates and integrates a rich educational environment to train medical staff and transmit health information to rural populations.

3. Telemedicine Planning Team
Resident Physcians
Junior and Senior Specialists
Nursing and Paramedical Professionals
Telemedicine Coordinators
IT Personnel
Graduating Medical Students
Community Stakeholders
The planning team will gain knowledge to promote access for delivering quality health care, infusing telecommunication and technology to improve future workforce development.

4. Process Description Form a telemedicine planning team
Actively participate in bi-monthly meetings
Research and design technology use plan based on needs assessment
Incorporate American Technology standards and guidelines
Develop Goals and Objectives for strategic teaching/learning, maintenance support, infrastructure, configuration, and grant funding
Assess interconnectivity, interoperability, and investment
Establish an action timeline for planning, implementation, and evaluation

5. Vision Statement
Our vision is to link communities together for health using telemedicine technology standards and excellence improving health care to rural populations regardless of distance or geography.

6. Our Goal To improve the health of rural populations as a recognized leader in the adoption of telemedicine applications and provider of telehealth information services
Objectives
Long Term Objective- Urge lawmakers in the House and Senate to invest in a digital infrastructure as part of the recovery plan
Impact Objective- Reduce health care costs by delivering quality health information to rural service providers and communities
Process Objective- Ensure the accomplishment of connectivity from the HUB site to rural sites and establish a Telehealth network system

7. Activities
Establish an operational budget for financial expenditures to support the telemedicine program
Create a network infrastructure and conduct a readiness audit, establish a Telehealth asset inventory, provide maintenance and support
Provide a Telemedicine Reference Manual, and Curriculum Educational training at HUB and rural sites, establishing on going communications and scheduling projects
Foster Staff Development by providing capacity building activities on telemedicine training and health education programming
Health professionals will be fully licensed and registered according to district, state and national standards
Health professionals will be required to provide proper credentialing and will be aware of the locus of accountability when practicing Telehealth in another jurisdiction

8. Needs Assessment
Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP) will take place after visioning and before strategic planning.
The plan will effectively engage the community
The plan will be grounded in local public health practice
The telemedicine public health system will include contributions from the local public health sector
The Telemedicine Technology Integration survey will be assessed to ensure proper instruction and learning of telehealth services

9. Staff Development
Staff development is a fundamental component to meet the strategic needs of the telemedicine program
Bi-monthly educational opportunities available at the HUB and rural site locations
Incorporate web training opportunities to assist rural staff with specific health care issues in the community
Cross train telemedicine staff at HUB and rural sites to meet the needs of communication and scheduling projects
Continuous technology integration improvements will be adjusted to improve the Telemedicine learning environment
Provide research based rationale to improve staff learning experiences and synthesize Telehealth instruction
Hold regular meetings and planning sessions between Telemedicine team and stakeholders to address staff development needs

10. Telemedicine Program Evaluation
Identify Stakeholders
Create a telemedicine logic model for resources, implementation and stages of development
Evaluation Design purpose is to satisfy end user (rural doctors and community)
Greater credible evidence, to measures, educational effectiveness ,health outcomes and patient satisfaction
Justify conclusions using analysis and recommendations consistent with values of stakeholders
Feedback, address positive and negative findings, follow-up and dissemination with stakeholders

11. Phased Implementation
Timeline
Phased Implementation
2009- Build out the telecommunications infrastructure and install videoconferencing equipment
2010- Install all of the medical devices and configure with telecommunication infrastructure. Test the business and operational models under optimum conditions
Provide training to telemedicine coordinators and a limited number of professionals in the use of telemedicine devices and the system. The telemedicine team will serve as mentors at the HUB and rural sites and organize instruction to other professionals as the plan is implemented.