February 9, 2007
A new vision
for Partners Telemedicine
With the new year, Partners Telemedicine has launched several new and
exciting changes — expanding its commitment to connected health technologies
to help increase patient access to quality medical care, changing its
name and moving to a new location. The word "telemedicine" generally
refers to the use of communications technologies — such as satellite
technology, videoconferencing or telephone — in the real-time delivery
of clinical care. The application of this technology is rapidly expanding
to include the Internet, cell phones, digital cameras and in-home medical
devices to monitor and to report a patient's health status and enhance
communication between patients and providers.
To
better reflect the broad range of its work, Partners Telemedicine has
changed its name to the Partners Center for Connected Health. "The
name communicates our widerange of telehealth, remote care, and disease
and lifestyle management programs under development at Partners,"
says Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, founder and director of the center. "We
believe the term 'connected health' more accurately represents the opportunities
for technology-enabled care programs and the potential for new strategies
in health care delivery."
While the name change indicates a movement in the delivery of health care
using readily available modern communication technology, the center has
been a leader
since 1994 in the use of technology in the delivery of patient care outside
of the medical setting. Today the center is developing new patient care
programs focusing on the management of chronic illnesses, including asthma,
diabetes and mental health.
One example is the monitoring of heart patients' vital signs at their
homes with simple telemonitoring devices that allow clinicians in the
medical setting to monitor the patients' heart rate, blood pressure and
weight. The information is relayed to the clinician, who can detect a
potential health crisis and provide immediate intervention.
The Partners Center for Connected Health is located at 25 New Chardon
Street,
Suite 400D. The telephone, e-mail and fax numbers have not changed. For
more
information about the center, access www.connected-health.org.