HIMSS 08 Breaks Records, Puts Cost Value on IT

Nurse Bonnie Britton grew up in a rural area of North Carolina, not thinking that she'd return to her hometown years later to help her fellow low-income community members link to a telehealth program for improving their lives. Called the Patient Provider Community Telehealth Network, the computer-based program is working for the residents of Ahoskie, N.C.

Not only have lives been extended with the telehealth program, but Britton has crunched the numbers since the program began two years ago and presented the health care community with striking financials that show cost justification for telehealth equipment. With the use of telehealth kiosks placed in senior centers, schools and the use of in-home monitors and in-home vital signs monitoring equipment Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, Britton's employer, saved an average of $53,095 a year per patient participating in the remote disease management program. When Britton delivered that figure at the 2008 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society meeting last week in Orlando, her audience clapped loud and strong since it places a monetary value on telehealth services, justifying the technology.

Britton shared more statistics: Her poverty-stricken county ranks number one in the state for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and HIV infection. She recounted dramatic patient stories where IT technology and services made a measurable health impact. One man suffering from heart failure gained months of life by interacting remotely with caregivers; others gained years of life since the program began in 2006. The program is relatively low-tech and makes use of e-mail and the telephone for patient interactions.

Britton's project was a showcase for HIMSS and its goal to demonstrate the value of an electronic health care system. This year's event was a record-breaking HIMSS conference with more than 28,400 attendees and 900 exhibitors answering the nation's health care IT call.