rural road leads to distant mountains

USDA Announces Grants for Rural Telemedicine

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On November 19, in honor of National Rural Health Day, the U.S. Department of Agriculture bestowed $23.4 million in awards to expand rural telemedicine and mental health services, as well as distance education, for 75 projects in 31 states. The grants will help increase access to health care in rural areas with a shortage of providers for emergency medical care, routine examinations, virtual rounds, behavioral health services, and specialty services. Read more

Mobile health is here to stay!

Mobile Health: Patients Want It All

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When it comes to combining personal health with the convenience of mobile devices, what do smartphone users really want? A recent study suggests that people want to be fully engaged online, including accessing their health records and communicating with their healthcare providers—all from their phones and tablets. It’s a great idea in theory, but can everything actually fit into one application? Read more

sick girl laying in hospital bed

Mobile Video Conferencing Brings Virtual Visits to Intensive Care

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The MassGeneral Hospital for Children Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) has found two intriguing uses for mobile video conferencing: comforting anxious families and consulting physicians at home.

Sometimes, parents can’t be at their child’s bedside. While the hospital strives to make visiting family members comfortable with in-room beds and desks, they help reduce absent parents’ anxiety by loaning them tablet devices. With secure mobile video conferencing, parents can see, hear, and interact with their children, physicians, and nurses—in essence, “being there” without actually being there. Read more