Oklahoma May Use Telemedicine to Improve Alzheimer's Treatment

Under consideration by Oklahoma lawmakers is a telemedicine pilot to train rural providers to treat people with Alzheimer's, reports mHealth Intelligence . If approved, the measure would set up a Project Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, which would employ a hub-and-spoke model to link rural and remote practitioners with specialists to discuss cases that would otherwise be referred to distant health systems. Sen. Adam Pugh's (R-Okla.) proposal would appoint a neurologist to educate rural primary care providers (PCPs) on recognizing and treating Alzheimer's and dementia, who would run the virtual care network without remuneration. According to advocates, Project ECHO would help improve care management for rural Oklahomans who lack easy access to healthcare providers, as well as help rural PCPs care for more residents locally. The Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences already has established a Project ECHO platform for training on addiction and hepatitis C, and last year it added an Alzheimer's education module. The Oklahoma branch of the Alzheimer's Association backs Pugh's bill, and says Oklahomans face a six- to-nine-month wait to see a neurologist in person.