University of Virginia Cancer Center Begins Using New Telemedicine Technology for Cervical Cancer Screenings
University of Virginia Cancer Center launches innovative Remote Cancer Screening and Diagnostic Technology Platform Powered by Collaborative Medical Technology Corporation (CMTC)
PARAMUS, NJ, July 1, 2013 – The University of Virginia Cancer Center has become the first cancer center to use Collaborative Medical Technology Corporation’s (CMTC) physician collaboration platform to enhance their tele-colposcopy cervical cancer screening program.
UVA’s Cancer Center’s Tele-Colposcopy Cervical Cancer Screening Program works with the Wise County Health Department to provide medical services in a rural, medically underserved area of Virginia. By December 2013, the tele-colposcopy program is expected to expand to four sites in the Coalfield region, said Peyton Taylor, Jr., MD, medical director of the Cancer Center, which includes the tele-colposcopy program.
“Our cervical cancer screening efforts initially focused on women with abnormal pap test results,” said Taylor. “Nurse practitioners, nationally certified to perform colposcopy examinations, see patients in partnership with an oncologist from UVA via the tele-colposcopy pilot project. Through telemedicine, we are able to identify and prioritize patients who need our immediate attention. Using telemedicine saves patients and families many hours of travel time and expense while also providing a vital connection between specialists at academic health centers such as UVA with clinicians in rural areas.”
The UVA Tele-Colposcopy Program uses both video teleconferencing and a cloud-based system that enables providers in Southwest Virginia and at UVA to view local clinical data; cytology, laboratory, and pathology reports; and digital images from colposcopies.
“Seeking to improve the diagnosis of cervical cancer in Wise County is part of a larger mission at UVA Health System to improve access to specialty care for the residents of Southwest Virginia,” said Dr. Karen Rheuban, director of the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth. “We are fortunate to have a dedicated specialist in Dr. Taylor to help so many women throughout Southwest Virginia and the entire Commonwealth.”
Simon Schurr, CEO of CMTC said, “We are pleased that the UVA Health System is using our cloud-based collaboration platform to advance their community outreach strategy and telehealth program. We’ve brought together all the critical components for expanding cervical cancer screening and care across Virginia. The new platform marries existing telemedicine video and tele-colposcopy capabilities with the vital clinical/patient data, images, and communications, allowing specialists and nurse clinicians to collaborate efficiently to ensure appropriate care for every patient.”
The explosion of telemedicine, telehealth and mhealth initiatives originally utilized a combination of communication and information exchange including video conferencing; transmission of still images; remote monitoring of vital signs; fax, email and phone for transfer of information; and overnight delivery of DICOM images. The next generation of telemedicine will fully leverage the potential of each of these capabilities by linking them into a comprehensive clinical knowledge management capability including real-time sharing of structured clinical information, and instantaneous access to DICOM images guided by an optimized workflow and a pre-defined best-practice protocols, which are vital to realize the full value of these advancements.
“We have deployed our platform in a customized—or purpose-built—configuration for Dr. Taylor, incorporating his best-in-class practices for diagnosis and workflow. This secure and simple system allows Dr. Taylor’s team to connect with each other anywhere, using tools and protocols that help ensure each physician has all the relevant information and expert consultations needed to offer each patient the appropriate care”, added Simon Schurr.
About Collaborative Medical Technology Corporation
CMTC specializes in developing diagnostic and treatment collaboration solutions using innovative cloud-based applications that provide telehealth/telemedicine capabilities. Their robust and agile solutions suite is delivered as platform as a service (PaaS). The Physician Collaboration Platform (PCP) aggregates and organizes disparate data sources to create and share a composite patient record that replaces inefficient and fragmented communications with a turnkey, on-demand, web-based solution. CMTC’s Physician Collaboration Platform specialized technology enables a case manager to collaborate with multiple specialists by sharing a patient’s relevant medical records, diagnosis and treatment plans and radiology images in DICOM providing high-definition diagnostic quality, readable on any Internet-ready device. Interaction between the physicians is provided through a secure web portal to maximize accuracy, privacy and efficiency. It enables hospitals and physicians to create, brand, and manage secure collaborative communities of clinicians/providers.
For more information, visit www.cmtcorp.com.
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