Telemedicine growing answer to medical workforce shortage

By: Lindsey Ward | WSLS
Published: May 13, 2010

CHARLOTTESVILLE - At UVA Medical Center, Doctor Green is sitting down for one of her morning appointments.

Her examination room looks a little different than most. It includes a computer and a web camera.

Her patient, James Carty, sits more than 300 miles away from her office in Dickenson County.

This type of appointment is called telemedicine.

It's not a new practice, but a growing answer to a growing problem ... medical workforce shortages.

“Most of the time you have to drive an hour from here to the doctor anywhere you go. I mean, you have general doctors here, but no specialists really,” explained Carty.

“It has been predicted that we will have a shortage of 200,000 physicians by 2020,” said Dr. Karen Rheuban, Medical Director of Office of Telemedicine.

Dr. Rheuban and her colleagues have been connecting from Charlottesville with patients through telemedicine since the mid 90s and have a presence in dozens of communities in Virginia.

She says it is only going to grow since health care reform is a reality.

“We're moving now into becoming mainstream health care both in the commonwealth of Virginia and nationwide.”

In fact, Dr. Rheuban says the new health care reform bill lends money to grow telemedicine and other technology related medical practices.

The idea is to create a presence of health professionals in shortage areas ... even if it's a virtual one.

Howard Chapman is the Executive Director of Southwest Virginia Community Health System.

He says telemedicine meats a real need in the area.

“You can't do surgery by telemedicine, but a lot of the pre- and post work you can do. And, again, it saves a lot of time and inconvenience and cost on behalf of the patient,” Chapman said.

Especially for Carty, who must see a doctor every week.

“I've only had to come to Charlottesville once,” Carty said.

Dr. Rheuban says a major issue with telemedicine is getting facilities to comply.

There has to be access to broadband and HDtv technology.

She says inside the health care reform bill is money to help doctor offices pay for the equipment.

So logging on and linking up have helped solve a workforce shortage in parts of Virginia and could be the key to a predicted national crisis.