Tucson Medical Center is using telehealth to offer cardiac rehab to rural Arizona residents, the Arizona Daily Star reported.
Patients at Benson (Ariz.) Hospital connect with providers from the Tucson facility via video, according to the Jan. 30 story. The program started in September and has served 13 patients so far.
"We are coming up with metrics that validate we are meeting the same goals as traditional rehabilitation in a remote setting," Lou Lancero, MD, a cardiologist and medical director of Benson Hospital, told the newspaper.
Tucson Medical Center hopes to expand the service to other rural southern Arizona communities, the news outlet reported. The first site opened thanks to donations of $50,000 from the TMC Foundation and $25,000 from Centene Corp. subsidiary Arizona Complete Health.