Telehealth renewed for another five years, continue tech expansion

Telehealth renewed for another five years, continue tech expansion

Telemedicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center has been renewed for another five years as new technologies advance an already robust program of patient care.

The Medical Center was awarded $4.25 million earlier this month for a five-year redesignation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a Center of Excellence in Telehealth.

The program at UMMC, renamed the Center for Telehealth and Emerging Technologies in 2025, plans to focus on four core areas over the next five years to achieve comprehensive patient care. One involves managing patients with chronic disease and heart failure.

"The prevalence of chronic disease is very high in Mississippi and other rural states," said Dr. Saurabh Chandra, chief telehealth officer. "To address those needs, we are working with the Department of Preventive Medicine to evaluate their lifestyle medicine program and how that involves chronic diseases. We will also continue to look at remote patient-monitoring technology that integrates elements of AI to make it more efficient to manage those patients, including managing them at home once they are discharged from the hospital."

A second area will have the center partner with the Cancer Center and Research Institute to help specialists use the assistive technology to save more lives during chemotherapy.

"We're looking into how multiple sets of information including patient-reported outcomes can be put together so we can intervene early and prevent a patient's condition from deteriorating," Chandra said. "Our success will not be measured by the number of video visits alone," Chandra said, crediting staff and partners across clinical, research and community roles. "It will be measured by whether these models improve outcomes, strengthen the clinicians caring for patients at the bedside, expand access, support the sustainability of rural hospitals and generate evidence that others can use."

Other projects include developing a process to help emergency medicine identify those at highest risk for contracting HIV and to help specialists at Children's of Mississippi care for pediatric diabetes patients.

"We greatly appreciate the ongoing investment in UMMC's telehealth initiatives that extends our ability to provide high-quality health care to rural and medically underserved areas of our state. Telehealth allows us to monitor patients in rural hospitals, to assist patients with chronic conditions and to help students in need of mental health services," said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Congress appropriated the funding, which flows through the Telehealth Centers of Excellence program. This program is designed for a five-year window, meaning UMMC will be eligible to receive subsequent awards over the next few years.

"The University of Mississippi Medical Center has been a pioneer in telehealth care, and they will put this funding to work for Mississippi and the nation," said Sen. Roger Wicker in a statement. "Telehealth is a lifeline for rural states like ours. This option bridges healthcare divides, bringing providers to senior citizens, busy parents, or those living far from a clinic."

"As one of two telehealth centers for excellence nationally, UMMC continues to set the pace in expanding telehealth access and its effectiveness as a tool to promote wellness. It's a pleasure to work with Senator Wicker and Congressman Guest to ensure that federal resources for this good work are maintained," said Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that funds HHS.

The center has 23 projects planned in its portfolio in the next year alone, with collaboration with institutions in Arkansas, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, as well as research examining telehealth access and policy across multiple states and nationwide. UMMC collaborators include the Department of Preventive Medicine, Cancer Center and Research Institute, Department of Surgery, School of Health Related Profession and Children's of Mississippi, among others.

"UMMC has long been a national leader in telehealth," said U.S. Rep. Michael Guest. "I am proud to represent UMMC in the U.S. House and to advocate for this Telehealth Centers of Excellence program funding. UMMC's telehealth program will continue to be of great service to Mississippians and serve as a national model, and I am looking forward to the continued research, innovation, and patient-centered care UMMC will provide."

UMMC's telehealth department was recognized in 2017 as one of only two federally designated Centers of Excellence in Telehealth by the federal Health Resources Services Administration. Previous funding under a Center for Excellence grant helped the Center reach roughly 80,000 students in 205 schools in 32 districts across Mississippi. An extensive portfolio of clinical, research, technology and dissemination initiatives expanded access to high-quality care to underserved populations - translating to more than 70 distinct projects, 37 manuscripts, more than 150 presentations and seven implementation playbooks.