CNN.com, Aug. 17, 2009
UTMB's Dr. Ben Raimer and Alexander Vo are quoted in this article, written out of London, about technology being used to deliver health care. "At the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, Texas, doctors do everything from running mental health screens to providing post-surgery follow-ups via video terminal. ... As Dr. Ben Raimer of UTMB sees it, remote medicine is another tool for doctors to expand the reach of their stethoscope. It's being used to provide care to underserved communities worldwide, particularly in areas like the developing world. Distance treatment doesn't only help broaden access of care, it also enhances care and lowers costs, said Raimer. ‘It expedites getting the patient to the right place and to the right level of care,' he said. Dr. Alexander Vo, executive director of the UTMB Center for Telehealth Research and Policy, expects virtual care to become even more widespread in the future. With health care systems around the world in crisis, now is the time for this technology to really take off, he said. ‘All of this technology is being developed to provide access to care. With access we can start providing preventive care which prevents inappropriate hospitalization and can really lead to tremendous cost savings,' he said."