Arizona Telemedicine Blog Book | Page 30

2014 Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase ‘Very Valuable’ and ‘Really Well Done’ B y J an e E r i k s o n o n November 4, 2014 As CEO of GlobalMed, a world leader in telemedicine innovation operating in more than 35 countries, Joel Barthelemy goes to a lot of conferences. As in a lot. He thinks the Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase, held Oct. 6 and 7 in Phoenix, may be the first one he’s ever attended in its entirety. “The information shared was some of the best I’ve ever encountered,” Mr. Barthelemy said, after attending the conference. “There was little commercialism, and the information imparted to us was very valuable. The feedback I received from clinicians who were there was astounding. They truly felt this was a valuable use of their time.” The Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase (SPS) was hosted by the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP), the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center and the Four Corners Telehealth Consortium. Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, the founding director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program, and the father of telepathology, said the idea for SPS resulted from “our interest in encouraging the service provider industry to proliferate. psychology and public health. “For a first time meeting I think it was a resounding success – the speakers were insightful, they were touching, they were full of good advice,” Dr. Krupinski said. “There are now a number of organizations that are forming independently within the telemedicine arena to address very specific domains,” Dr. Weinstein said. “We decided to do this because we see the need for service providers all the time here in Arizona.” “Companies are forming now that are not technology companies. They are not selling the infrastructure to do telemedicine. What they are doing is bringing together those people who can actually provide the services, which is what drove telemedicine in the first place.” SPS, as the showcase is called, is thought to have been the first of its kind. Deb LaMarche, associate director, Utah Telehealth Network, moderated two sessions on the first day of SPS. “We have not attended or heard about another meeting dedicated to the service provider community,” said Elizabeth Krupinski, PhD, ATP associate director, director of the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center and cochair of SPS. She also is a University of Arizona professor of medical imaging, “I thought it was a really exciting event,” she said. “Most of us who were there have been in telehealth for a very long time, and it was fun to be at something so energizing, looking at new models of care. One of more than 20 presentations given during the 2014 Telemedicine and Telehealth Service Provider Showcase 30