About High Plains Rural Health Network
History
High Plains Rural Health Network
was established in 1989 to provide economies of scale for
rural hospitals in frontier and medically underserved areas
of Northeast Colorado. In 1994, the Network expanded into
Western Kansas and the Panhandle of Western Nebraska. After
receiving a 3-year grant from the Office of Rural Health
Policy (ORHP) in 1995, the Network transitioned into a
Telemedicine Network utilizing two-way interactive video
conferencing technology to deliver specialty medical care,
continuing medical education, and administrative business
services to member hospital facilities throughout the
region.
Grant
Funding (1995-1997)
The ORHP funded five rural sites in the
first year of its grant - Sterling Regional MedCenter,
Haxtun Hospital District, Melissa Memorial Hospital, all in
Colorado, plus Cheyenne County Hospital, and Rawlins County
Hospital, both in Kansas. St. Anthony Hospital in Denver,
and Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, provided their
own equipment and were the tertiary facilities for the
original sites. Hays Medical Center, a regional referral
center in Kansas, joined the Network and supported the
project using their own equipment. Another rural site, Kit
Carson County Memorial Hospital, provided it's own equipment
and participated in the project as well, for a project total
of six rural hospitals, one regional referral center, and
two tertiary facilities in year one.
Year two of the ORHP grant funded
two rural sites - Keefe Memorial Hospital, and Yuma District
Hospital both in Colorado. During year two of the
telemedicine project, a grant from the Rural Utilities
Services funded the equipment for three additional sites -
Colorado Plains Medical Center, and East Morgan County
Hospital in Colorado, plus Memorial Health Center in
Nebraska for a project total of eleven rural hospitals, one
regional referral center, and two tertiary facilities
in year two.
Year three of the ORHP grant funded
Estes Park Medical Center, the final rural site for the
grant. A grant from the Public Utilities Commission
received during the third year of the telemedicine project
funded three additional rural sites - Plains Medical Center
an Acute Care Clinic, Prowers Medical Center, and Vail
Valley Medical Center all in Colorado - plus one additional
urban site - Presbyterian St. Lukes Hospital in Denver.
Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver supplied their own equipment
and participated in the project as well. Also in year
three, Western Plains Health Network joined our Network and
purchased equipment for one rural hospital and two physician
clinics - Wray Community Hospital, Wray Family Practice
Clinic, and North Colorado Family Medicine Clinic - plus two
urban sites - North Colorado Medical Center, and McKee
Medical Center all in Colorado for a project total of 15
rural hospitals, two physician clinics, one acute care
clinic, one regional referral center, and six urban
facilities in year three.
Continual Funding
HPRHN did not receive additional grant
funding for 1998 and therefore, became a totally member
supported Telemedicine Network. The members established the
main purpose of HPRHN to be an open-ended telemedicine
system providing its members with bridging, scheduling, and
technical support. Two classes of membership were
established and operation fees for each class were set along
with benefits of membership by category. A fee schedule to
charge non-members was initiated. HPRHN will continue to be
a forum where all members can come together for
collaboration and be on neutral territory. The board of
directors will be a 50/50 representation of rural & urban
participants with a maximum of five each.
The new structuring brought about a
few changes in membership, losing two tertiary facilities -
Saint Anthony Hospital, and Presbyterian Saint Lukes
Hospital - and gaining one rural hospital - Southwest
Memorial Hospital. McKee Medical Center and Hays
Medical Center were both reclassified as rural hospitals.
Conclusion
The High Plains Rural Health
Telemedicine Network is unique in that it has brought
together, not only competing tertiary facilities, but
competing rural facilities as well, to participate
collaboratively in this high-tech telemedicine project.
Without an Executive Director to run the business of the
organization, those responsibilities fall to the Board of
Directors and ultimately to the Executive Committee. A
Strategic Planning/Value Committee, composed of member
administrators and staff, was appointed to plan for the
future of the Network. To assure continued quality of
service, a Technology Committee composed of technology
specialists, site facilitators, facility administrators, and
staff, has developed protocols, training procedures, and
routine maintenance policies. Much of our success is
attributed to the collaborative and active involvement of
each participating member and their commitment on the
individual committees.
The High Plains Rural Health
Telemedicine Network is committed to continued growth and
program development that meets the needs of our members and
the citizens of our Region.
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