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Office of Minority Health Public Health Service U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

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In This Issue: How Telemedicine Can Improve Access to Care Minority Health Perspective/Shaping Healthy People 2010 Filling the Information Gap Impact of Balanced Budget Act Native American Center La Familia Sana Community Health Advisors Medicine on Wheels Rural Minority Health Agenda AIDS in Rural America Border Health NRHA Fellowships Minority Physicians Asian Health Needs R.I.C.H.S. Surgeon General Nominee Resources Web Sites for Rural Minority Health Funding Conferences

Rural Health How Telemedicine Can Improve Access to Care magine that a patient in a small town in Iowa goes to his primary care physician about a lesion on his arm. The physician decides to refer him to a specialist in dermatology to determine if the lesion is malignant. But the nearest dermatologist is in Des Moines, at least 100 miles away. Not so long ago, the patient would have either had to take the 100-mile journey or miss out on an accurate diagnosis. But today, telemedicine can make getting to the specialist a lot easier. The primary care physician simply has to set up an appointment with the dermatologist and forward the patient’s medical information. Then, on the day of the appointment, the patient and primary physician consult with the dermatologist through interactive television. “With the use of telemedicine, the dermatologist can evaluate the lesion and make a diagnosis, the primary care doctor gains valuable information from the consult, and the patient doesn’t have to take a trip,” said Paul Maaskestad, administrative director of the Midwest Rural Telemedicine Consortium. The Consortium is a 30-member network of health care organizations that is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. continued next page

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