Healthcare

I'm catching up after a Thanksgiving break.

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission announced that the Northeast Ohio Regional Health Organization (NEO RHIO) and OneCommunity are the recipients of an $11.2 million capital grant that will fund 70 percent of the total $16.1 million development of a regional broadband health care network over a three year period. Funds will be used to extend OneCommunity’s dedicated HealthNet high-speed broadband network to connect 19 rural hospitals and numerous clinics spanning 22 counties to over 30 existing hospitals connected to the OneCommunity network. HealthNet will enable NEO RHIO and its collaborative medical providers to deliver telemedicine applications, records access, medical imaging and remote diagnostic services.

Since 2005, NorTech has been working in partnership with OneCommunity to develop the NEO RHIO. The goal has been to create a system of information sharing among regional healthcare institutions via the OneCommunity network that would improve health care access and health outcomes for all citizens in Northeast Ohio.  There are currently over 15 regional hospitals in the network, anchored by founding medical partners which include the Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Summa Health System, MetroHealth Medical Center, CSA/UHHS, Medina General Hospital, Akron General Medical Center, Aultman Hospital and Akron Children’s Hospital.