WRMA Completes Four-Year Evaluation of a Statewide Telemedicine Project in California
Telemedicine and eHealth have gained national attention and momentum. Interest in, and funding provided for, health care technology has escalated, including the emphasis being placed on electronic health records. In 2005, WRMA was contracted with The California Endowment to evaluate the California Telemedicine and eHealth Center (CTEC) Telemedicine and eHealth Network Development project. CTEC’s strategic efforts focused on building telemedicine and eHealth capacity and competency among providers, increasing access to specialty care, decreasing the digital divide as it relates to healthcare services, and improving access to quality care for California's rural and underserved populations. WRMA lead the evaluation project that provided many valuable lessons to the field of telemedicine and health care services to people in rural geographic regions of the state that may not otherwise have had access to the specialty care. While some components of the program were found to be in need of improvement, The Endowment and CTEC helped set the stage for a new era of healthcare delivery. The lessons learned from our evaluation have already benefited many and will continue to do so as the capacities of telemedicine for improving care quality and access continue to unfold.
