Lt. Gov. highlights rural health

Illinois Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti toured Franklin Hospital late last week and witnessed a demonstration of the TeleHealth Network.
Sanguinetti, who serves as chairman of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, made the visit to see first-hand how the TeleHealth Network could increase rural access to healthcare.
“Time and again I have heard about the lack of specialty and primary care availability in rural communities,” she said Friday. “Residents can face 60- to 90-minute drive times to major medical facilities, and this is only if they have access to reliable transportation. Improving our TeleHealth infrastructure will address these rural health disparities and offer innovative ways to provide the quality healthcare access that all Illinoisans deserve.”
Telemedicine is a rapidly growing component of health care in the United States. There are currently about 200 telemedicine networks with around 3,500 service sites, one of them being Franklin Hospital.
Federal grant funding allowed the SIU School of Medicine established its TeleHealth Network in 2001, and expand those services to health care providers, educators, and patients in 2009.
Long commutes, especially for patients whose health is already compromised, are not the only problem rural citizens face in securing health services. It often can take months to secure an appointment with a specialist.
Nina M. Antoniotti, executive director of TeleHealth and Clinical Outreach for the SIU School of Medicine, outlined for Sanguinetti how the program can improve access and clinical outcomes while reducing costs to the state for rural health care programs.
“The time from symptoms to evaluation by primary care and then specialty care physicians located in rural areas than most other states with similar populations,” Antoniotti said, noting that approximately 30 percent of rural citizens live in poverty.
Antoniotti said those barriers can include weather, unreliable transportation, and lack of a support network of family and friends.
With the help of specially trained Franklin Hospital staff, Sanguinetti watched a mock Telehealth visit.
The visit took place in a room equipped with a large monitor, camera and digital medical equipment including a stethoscope guided by a trained clinical telepresenter.
On average, it costs an average of $20,000 to outfit a TeleHealth clinic.
“The hospital is very fortunate to have partnered with Springfield’s SIU School of Medicine last spring," said Derek S. Johnson Sr., chief operating officer of Franklin Hospital. "Patients now have access to over 150 specialty physicians right here in Franklin County through our telehealth program.”
Sanguinetti said the tour was “eye opening” for her.
“We want to give everyone access,” she said, while ackowledging that such funding is subject to the budget impasse, now entering its second year.
“Gov. Rauner is committed to balancing the budget,” said Sanguinetti, noting that the Illinois Constitution requires the state to operate on a balanced budget. “He is hopeful to reach a resolution with the new government in place. Right now, our most vulnerable are suffering."
Insurance coverage for such visits could be a stumbling block. While many companies will cover the visits, some do not.
Johnson also noted that the system cannot currently bill for many mental health services.
“We can’t bill for psychologists, counselors, or social workers,” he said. “Medicaid is not covering those services.”
Psychiatrist visits are covered, though, according to Johnson.
Johnson said the hospital can currently refer to “any health care provider who is in the system.”
He hopes to see the program expanded to include “virtual rounds,” where patients can be evaluated without the physician having to travel to the hospital.
More than half of all U.S. hospitals currently use some form of telemedicine. Consumers and physicians can download health and wellness applications for use on their cell phones.
Antoniotti says Illinois needs to “take a look at other states for solutions” to the rural health crisis. “I want us to go from worst to first,” she said.