VIRGINIA NEWS and VTN NEWS

(Scroll down to see VTN News)

(Updated April 14, 2011)

(The Northern Neck)

• Congratulations Wellmont! "Wellmont launches new telemedicine program: Grant helps organization better serve rural communities." From TriCities.com, March 5, 2011, by Mac McLean. Click here to access article.

• "Spotlight on Rural Health." The 2011 Virginia Telehealth Summit co-sponsored by the Virginia Telehealth Network will be held April 5, 2011 at the Wintergreen Resort in Central Virginia. A variety of topics important to the leaders and executives in the rural health field will be presented for a full day of non-stop rural health information." From the Federal Telemedicine News, February 12, 2011. Click here to access blog article.

• CONGRATULATIONS! USDA Announces Funding To Increase Educational and Health Care Access in Rural Communities, January 24, 2011:

Virginia: Northern Neck Middle Peninsula Telehealth Consortium - $215,199 and Twin County Regional Healthcare, Inc. -$129,530 . Click here to access USDA announcement.

• VIRGINIA HEALTHCARE BROADBAND ANALYSIS: Commonwealth of Virginia Healthcare Broadband Analysis, Karen Jackson, Deputy Secretary of Technology, Commonwealth of Virginia , January 10, 2011. Note: "Report findings are the property of CIT and may not be reproduced without permission. Click here to access final report.

• "Sentara named "most integrated" healthcare system." From the PilotOnline.com, Biz Buzz, January 25, 2011. Click here to access article.

• Governor McDonnell, Lieutenant Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and House and Senate Republican Leadership Announce Joint Agenda for 2011 Legislative Session. Speaking about the Opportunity At Work legislative component of the "Smaller Government, Stronger Economy" agenda, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling remarked, "Virginia is recognized internationally for the innovation of our technology sector.  We must do everything we can to ensure we are attracting more jobs in this area and supporting our current employers who are making advances in bio-sciences, energy technology, and communications infrastructure." "The package includes legislation creating the Virginia Research and Technology Investment Program, the Virginia Tourism Grant Fund and approximately $55 million in new grants and incentives for job creation in the Commonwealth." From Virginia.gov, January 11, 2011. Click here for more information.

• "Va. urged to run own insurance exchanges." From Richmond Times-Dispatch, December 22, 2010. "Other recommendations include: •Becoming a Medicare demonstration site on the use of telemedicine in areas with underserved populations..." Click here to access article.

• "Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record." From BusinessWire, December 13, 2010. Click here for more information.

• "Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center has selected DR Systems' cloud-based radiology imaging technology." From Health IT Business News Roundup for the Week of December 3, 2010. Click here to access article.

• "Norfolk paramedics send EKGs to give ERs a jump." From The Virginia-Pilot, November 26, 2010. Click here to access article.

• "NVHA and Inova Health System Utilize Philips VISICU eICU® Program to Increase Surge Capacity During All-Hazards Event." From PR Newswire, October 28, 2010. Click here to access article.

• "Grant Boosts Virginia Public-Health Training." From The Health Journal, November 1, 2010. Click here to access article.

• HHS announces a major new investment in community health centers - including in Virginia! Congratulations to all awardees! "More than $727 million in grants from the Affordable Care Act to upgrade and expand community health centers Funds will provide care for an additional 745,000 underserved patients." From HHS.gov, October 8, 2010. Click here for news release.

• "UVa rolls out $122 million medical records system." Detailed article from The Daily Progress, October 1, 2010. Click here to access article.

• "Benefiting Inova: Barbara Doyle, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, CEO, accepted a donation from Randy Bender of The Bender Group, which will assist in purchasing a Telemedicine System for the hospital on Oct. 6." From the Mount Vernon Gazette, October 21, 2010. Click here to access article.

• "Virginia Telehealth Network Responds to FCC Proposed Changes in Rural Health Program." To access comments click here.

• "InterSystems to provide HIE services for VLER project."From HealthCareIT News, September 23, 2010. Click here for article.

• The Northern Neck of Virginia Struggles with High-Speed Internet. From Richmond-Times Dispatch August 29, 2010. Click here for article.

• Governor McDonnell Recognizes 2010 Governor's Technology Awards Recipients – Virginia Localities, State Agencies, Courts, Schools and Universities Honored. Winners in the Category: Innovation in Local Government included the City of Virginia Beach for "Emergency Medical Services Electronic Medical Records and in the winners in the Category: Online, Not In Line include the Virginia Department of Health for "H1N1 Get One Solution." Click here for full announcement and list of all winners and honorable mentions. Click here for more information about the City of Virginia Beach's EMS EMRs.

• Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell Announces Taskforce Membership of Virginia Health Reform Initiative - Including Three Board Members of the Virginia Telehealth Network. Governor Bob McDonnell on September 14, 2010 announced the members of the six taskforces working in coordination with the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council. The taskforces are: Medicaid Reform, Insurance Reform, Service Delivery, Capacity, Technology, and Purchasers. These taskforces will work to bring recommendations and information to the Advisory Council who will then provide recommendations to the Governor towards a comprehensive strategy for implementing health reform in Virginia. Like the Advisory Council, the work of the taskforces will go beyond federal health reform and recommend other innovative healthcare solutions that meet the needs of Virginia's citizens and government. From Virginia.gov.The three VTN Board Members are: Dixie Tooke-Rawlins , D.O., Dean and Executive Vice President, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine; Advisory Council Member, Co-Chair (appointed to the Capacity taskforce; Howard Chapman, Executive Director, Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, Inc.
  Dr. Karen Rheuban, Medical Director, Office of Telemedicine, UVA School of Medicine (both of whom were appointed to the Technology taskforce. For complete release click here.

• Congratulations Virginia! HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Announced on August 23, 2010: More Than $32 Million in FY 2010 Funds to Increase Access to Health Care for Americans Living in Rural Areas.

Virginia is Awarded Three Grants:Virginia Department of Health is an Awardee of Two Grants:

Rural Hospital Flexibility Program (Flex) $327,097; and

Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program: $296,667

St. Charles Health Council, Inc., in Pennington Gap, is an Awardee of One Grant:

Rural Health Workforce Development Grant Award: $200,000

To view the announcement and for the link to the list of all awardees click here. For a summary of the awards click on the Federal Telemedicine News August 24, 2010 blog: Funding to Support Rural Health.

• Vice President Biden Announces Recovery Act Investments in Broadband Projects to Bring Jobs, Economic Opportunity to Communities Nationwide - Including Three Virginia Awards. August 18, 2010: Vice President Biden announced 94 Recovery Act investments in broadband projects that will create jobs and expand economic opportunities within 37 states. These investments in high-speed Internet infrastructure will help bridge the technological divide in communities that are being left in the 20th century economy and support improvements in education, healthcare, and public safety. Today's announcement, an investment totaling $1.8 billion, is part of a nearly $7 billion Recovery Act initiative. A complete list of projects receiving Recovery Act broadband grant awards today can be viewed in full here. From USDA Newsroom News Release. Virginia awards include:

  DOC Citizens' Telephone Cooperative VA $9,237,760
  This approximately $9.2 million award will allow Citizens Telephone Cooperative to offer affordable middle-mile broadband service in the New River Valley region of Virginia. The project plans to directly connect more than 50 community institutions to broadband. As many as 163,000 people stand to benefit as do 1,300 businesses. In addition to the jobs this project will create, it will provide a foundation for growth and job creation for decades to come.

  DOC County of Rockbridge VA $6,993,399
  This approximately $7 million award, with nearly $3 million in matching contributions, will allow the County of Rockbridge to offer affordable middle-mile broadband service in west-central Virginia. The project plans to directly connect up to 50 community institutions to broadband. As many as 33,000 people stand to benefit as do 1,300 businesses. In addition to the more than 100 jobs Rockbridge County estimates the project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic
  growth and job creation for decades to come.

  DOC Mid-Atlantic Broadband Cooperative VA $10,023,247
  This approximately $10 million award will allow the Mid- Atlantic Broadband Cooperative (MBC) to offer affordable middle-mile broadband service in eastern Virginia. The project plans to directly connect 66 community institutions to broadband. As many as 84,000 people stand to benefit as do 340 businesses. In addition to the more than 100 jobs the MBC estimates the project will create, it will provide a foundation for economic growth and job creation for decades to come.

• "Virginia HIT Regional Extension Center Announces Preferred Partners Allscripts, Athenahealth, and MDLand Chosen to Assist Primary Care Physicians." To see June 15, 2010 announcement click on VA HIT REC. To learn more about VHQC's Virginia HIT Regional Extension Center click here.

• "Bristol Virginia Utilities Board, $22.7 million grant with an additional $13.5 million applicant-provided match to build an almost 400-mile fiber network that intends to bring high-speed broadband middle mile service to rural, economically distressed areas in southwestern Virginia." To view full announcement and list of all recipients click on: National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

• "Virginia New Health & Human Resources and Technology Measures Took Effect July 1, 2010." June 30, 2010 release from Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Office includes a substantial overview and listings and summaries of the bills under the following headings: Health & Human Resources bills; Technology bills. Click on Governor McDonnell for full release.

• Virginia Health Care Foundation Announces $1.5 Million in Grant Funds to 18 Health Safety Net Organizations Across the State. Click on Virginia News for details.

• The "Virginia Senate Finance Committee Report on HIT Activities" and More Information About the Virginia HIT Regional Extension Center is Now Available on the Virginia Health Information Technology Spotlight.

• "RECs Support Critical Access and Rural Hospitals." On September 10, 2010 HHS provided 46 Regional Extension Centers with additional funding to assist rural critical access hospitals and rural hospitals (see Background on critical access hospitals) with less than 50 beds in selecting and implementing certified EHR systems. Some 1,655 critical access and rural hospitals in 41 states and the nationwide Indian Country, headquartered in the District of Columbia stand to benefit from this special assistance.
  Including: VHQC (Virginia Health Quality Center): $84,000. From the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Click here for article.

• Video of Full Event Available: August 23, 2010: NoVaRHIO Launches Innovative eHealth Exchange with Inova Alexandria Hospital's Emergency Department. For more information about this two part project click on NoVaRHIO. For full video coverage of the entire event click here. (The video is a large file and may take a little while to load. It is worth the wait. The video quality is excellent.) (Note: for information about all three RHIOs or HIE's in Virginia (MedVirginia, CareSpark and NoVaRHIO) click here. For more about MedVirginia also see above on this page. For more about CareSpark click here to access a YouTube about CareSpark. For Press Release Click Here. For more information about NovVARHIO also click on Virginia Health Information Technology Spotlight.

• Virginia Senate Bill 675 Signed into Law on April 5. 2010 by Governor Robert F. McDonnell

Virginia now joins 11 other states in the nation in having mandated health insurance coverage for telemedicine services. Click on the following to access the full text: SB 675. (Above photo taken during the signing ceremony: Dr. Karen Rheuban of the University of Virginia Medical Center and Drs. Vladimir Lavrentyev and Ronald Merrell of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center/Medical College of Virginia Hospitals) From the Virginia.gov May 10, 2010 Health Information Technology Spotlight (HIT):