The current trend of cost containment in health care has prompted a search for innovative methods of providing the best quality care at the lowest possible cost. One method that has received much attention is the use of telemedicine to conduct evaluations at rural locations. The use of a telemedicine link to connect a specialist in a large city to a local practitioner in a rural location has the potential to decrease travel costs while at the same time improving quality of care by providing the patient with the expertise of the specialist, without the burden of travel or waiting for a chance for the specialist to travel to the rural location. There has been much research conducted in the area of telemedicine for radiology, and some other medical specialties, however there has been very little research of telemedicine in rehabilitation and assistive technology evaluations. This project proposes to develop a telemedicine system to meet the needs of the Rehab field over the first six months, test the system at the rural Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown, PA for one year, and then over the last six months implement the system in the everyday operation of two rehabilitation facilities.Applications:This development project will result in a telemedicine system that can be used by specialists in the field of Assistive Technology to assist them in performing evaluations in rural locations. The system would be attractive to large institutions that serve people with disabilities such as the Veteran's Administration and the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation because it can decrease travel costs. The system would also be attractive to rural hospitals and nursing homes because it provides them with immediate input from a specialist.
