[blackbirdpie url=”http://twitter.com/#!/SpitzStrategy/status/72771187620593664″]
Call me crazy, but I don’t often think of New Mexico as leading the way in much, with the exception of a few years back when they had a decent basketball team, but that really has nothing to do with healthcare. However, they have developed a telehealth system that may prove to be a valuable asset to other less developed parts of the country.
The tweet above is in reference to an article describing the Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes or, ECHO. It was originally designed as a pilot program to test the treatment of hepatitis C but has since been expanded to include other chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
ECHO uses telehealth technology to allow doctors in more remote locations to treat more complex illnesses that they were not able to treat in the past.
I realize that New Mexico and Africa are not the same, but if you read this blog often then you know that I have written about similar technological use in Africa where it is less densely populated as well. These articles can be found here and here.
It is so awesome to see technology being used to improve the health of everyone, and especially those who have not been so lucky in the past. Having lived in less densely populated areas, it would have been really nice to know that I could still get the same level of healthcare despite not living near a hospital.
