Illini Community Hospital received the Award for Excellence in Telehealth Leadership from the Partnership for a Connected Illinois. The award was presented to Illini and three other healthcare providers from across the state at a luncheon in Chicago on November 18.
Telehealth, sometimes called telemedicine, is two-way, real time interactive communication between the patient, and the physician or practitioner at a distant site using audio and video equipment.
“Illini took the initiative to bring telemedicine-based health service to its rural and underserved communities,” said the Partnership for a Connected Illinois in a news release. Illini provides 1,500 telehealth visits a year for care including inpatient and outpatient cardiology, GI services and outpatient behavioral health. In addition, the hospital partnered with the Pike County Jail to bring healthcare services to the prison population via telemedicine. For the future, Illini is working with other Illinois Telehealth Network members to create a heroin and opioid treatment and education network model through telemedicine.
“Illini Community Hospital strives to create convenient access to care for the residents of the communities we serve,” said Kathy Hull, president/chief executive officer, Illini Community Hospital. “In this day and age, no matter if you serve an urban or rural region, convenient access to care includes digital, online services. As a member of the Blessing Health System, Illini Community Hospital has the expertise to connect the communities we serve with that technology.”
Partnership for a Connected Illinois was formed in 2009 with the mission to ensure broadband access throughout the State of Illinois and to maximize its impact and adoption. PCI oversaw the expansion of broadband over 3,593 miles in Illinois. In 2015, with the completion of its Federal grants, PCI shifted its focus to broadband adoption through the use of telehealth. PCI created a project, the Illinois Telehealth Initiative, which conducts educational events on telehealth law, organizes telehealth demonstration projects and recognizes organizations that have demonstrated leadership in advancing telehealth in Illinois.