Telemedicine application at the University of Rochester Medical Center Strong Memorial Hospital in conjunction with the New York State Department of Corrections

Telemedicine has been around for several years and it is inevitable that this technology will shape the current healthcare environment. Doctors are often faced with the challenges of the laws of time and distance. With the presence of telemedicine, the idea of having access to a physician at any given time becomes a reality. This paper will present an exciting concept of telemedicine for today and tomorrow with an emphasis on the advancement of health care delivery systems. This thesis will also attempt to present the cost saving factors that telemedicine can provide not only to patient care but also to the financial and administrative aspects of healthcare. It will provide a summation of goals, design description and the initial cost of implementing a telemedicine application. This paper will be a combination of discussions on general telemedicine applications and a practical implementation. It culminated with a presentation of an actual telemedicine project that the University of Rochester Medical Center implemented in conjunction with the New York State Department of Corrections telemedicine project. I was a member of the team that designed and implemented the first true telemedicine application for Strong Memorial Hospital. Jeannie L. Christensen - Page 4 of 81 Capstone Thesis It consists of an outlined discussion as presented on the Table of Contents and the networking design proposal to implement a telemedicine project. The paper also investigated some other telemedicine applications at the University of Rochester Medical Center that can be implemented in the future. We tried to follow a rigid timeline, but due to some delay on procuring the leased line we fell a little behind on the implementation. The committee for Telemedicine in Strong Memorial Hospital met on a regular basis and assessed the technological needs of each department. Below was the tentative timeline for the project itself. The dates changed based on how promptly the vendors were able to meet the project requirements: March 30, 1998 - T1 Installation March 15-20, 1998 - Support Staff Training April 15, 1998 - Test Phase April 30, 1998 - Final implementation My primary role in this implementation is to design the wide and local area network for the University of Rochester Medical Center. I also participated in several of the committee meetings which outlines other administrative issues involved, such as the emergency room renovations, feasibility of extending video conference services, discussions on cost and billing issues, and a visit of an actual correctional facility to observe its telemedicine application