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V O L . X X I N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 24 H E A LT H C A R E & W E L L N E S S F O C U S Stroke Association guidelines for using the clot- busting tPA medicine include a 20-point checklist that identifi es several medical conditions in which it would not be the appropriate treatment. Epic's integration of each patient's health history around one record, Cawley says, greatly improves patient safety. Coupled with improvements in high-speed Internet technologies and the availabil- ity of relatively low-cost laptop or tablet computers and mobile platforms, it's an essential element of MaineHealth's other telehealth initiatives to provide specialized care in pediatric genetics, speech pathol- ogy, radiology, psychiatry and other specialties. "You can't disconnect the technology from the medical care we provide," Cawley says. "It's all very connected. ese are the tools we need right now to make sure every patient receives the best care that we can give them. We've made a strong com- mitment to use whatever technology is out there that will improve the care for our patients." Meeting Maine's need Dr. Rosemarie Smith is a clinical geneticist with Maine Medical Partners, a pediatric specialty care practice based in Portland, and one of only three full-time clinical geneticists in Maine. "We tend to deal with pretty rare things, so we tend to be affi liated with major medical centers," she says, noting that her specialty deals with birth defects that can cause health problems; conditions such as Down syndrome or fetal alcohol syndrome; and diseases such as cystic fi brosis or hereditary condi- tions that might put a couple at risk of having children with similar problems. Smith says videoconferencing technology is an important tool for bridging distances in a state where it can take fi ve hours or more to drive from Aroostook County to her offi ce in Portland. For almost 10 years, she's been using it to connect with patients at the Cary Medical Center, located 300 miles away in Caribou. "I defi nitely believe you need to reach out to your patients if they can't come to you," she says. "My job is to provide people the information they need in the most con- venient way I can. at's very important to me." Although Smith regularly makes a fi ve-hour drive to Caribou for scheduled visits with referral patients — saying, "It's important to have a personal relationship" with them — she uses videoconferenc- ing for diagnoses, family counseling and consulta- tions with pediatric and family doctors. "A lot of my examinations are very visual," she says, "so for many of these cases I get a good fi rst look by using telemedicine." Once a diagnosis of a birth defect or genetic disorder has been made, she works closely with the families and their local doctors to make sure an appropriate follow-up care plan is created to help the child be as healthy as possible and achieve his or her fullest potential. Doing that by telemedicine, she says, spares those families the 600-mile roundtrip from Caribou to Portland, lodging and meal costs and time lost from work for one or both parents. " ere's no question many of these families wouldn't follow through with that consultation if they had to meet with me in person," she says. MaineHealth's telemedicine speech program, based at Waldo County General Hospital, taps the expertise of a cluster of 12 speech language patholo- gists based there who are led by Michael Towey, director of e Speech Language Pathology Voice and Swallowing Center of Maine. "We call it 'tele- practice' or 'telerehabilitation,'" Towey says, noting that his team provides 30,000 minutes per month of speech therapy at 21 diff erent locations throughout Maine via videoconferencing. "A lot of our work is done with young children who are having prob- lems with speech and language, which puts them at great risk of academic failure. We're able to provide services to kids who don't have access to a speech therapist otherwise." Towey says the center also works with stroke patients who've lost their ability to speak, as well as laryngeal cancer patients who are learning how to speak with a mechanical voice box. "Centers of excellence can occur anywhere," he says. "We have an extraordinary little hospital here in Belfast where we're encouraged to think diff er- ently about how we provide health care. We're also fortunate to have 12 speech therapists with diff er- ent areas of expertise who are really innovative, so patients from just about anywhere in Maine are able to match up to the correct expertise without having to travel for those services." J MC, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at @ . and @ JM Who we serve: • Hospitals and hospital systems • Home health agencies • Nursing homes and long term care providers • Physicians, nurses and physician groups • Dentists and hygienists • Mental health and substance abuse facilities • Healthcare Industry Employees With our vast legal resources and more than 30 attorneys located in Bangor, we provide a full range of legal expertise to the Healthcare Industry. WE HAVE A HEALTHY RESPECT FOR MAINE'S HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY. A true strategic partner for your business rudmanwinchell.com Bangor, Maine 207.947.4501 » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E

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