HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration designated Jackson-based University of Mississippi Medical Center a national "telehealth center of excellence" during an Oct. 5 news conference in Washington, D.C.
The hospital's center for telehealth connects patients to UMMC providers via video consultation for both primary and specialty medical services. As part of the designation, HRSA will provide UMMC with an initial $600,000 in funding, with the opportunity for an additional $2 million during the next two years.
With the grant funding, hospital officials will expand its telehealth program's reach, provide technical assistance to other telehealth providers, raise awareness of the service among physicians and patients and research the impact of telehealth on healthcare spending, among other functions.
The designation establishes UMMC's center for telehealth as a "national clearinghouse for telehealth research and resources," according to a hospital statement.
"We look forward to using our experience to help advance best practices for this increasingly vital service," said LouAnn Woodward, MD, vice chancellor for health affairs at UMMC and dean of the UMMC School of Medicine.
UMMC is one of two national telehealth centers of excellence, alongside Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina. The purpose of the telehealth centers of excellence program is to support public academic medical centers advancing the use of virtual healthcare, according to HRSA.