Evolution Of Telemedicine And The Growth Of ATA

Speakers at the Opening General Session, included ATA President Rashid Bashshur, PhD and Major General Matinez Lopez, Commanding General of the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Bashshur read a statement from His Excellency, Professor A.Q.M.B. Choudhury, President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh stating his strong support for telemedicine and his apologies for having to cancel his visit to the meeting at the last minute.

The Business of Telemedicine

Steven R. Normandin, Chair of ATA's Industry Advisory Board and Vice President and Director of AMDTelemedicine welcomed Molly Joel Coye, MD, MPH, Founder & CEO of The Health Technology Center in San Francisco as the keynote for the Monday Plenary Luncheon, which was sponsored by ATA's corporate leadership. Coye addressed the technology challenges and opportunities which face the healthcare industry in today's economic environment. In addition, LTG James B. Peake, The Surgeon General, U.S. Army Commander, U.S. Army Medical Command commented on the close collaboration between the Army and the private sector within the telemedicine arena.

Growth of Member Groups

Further evidence of ATA's success as well as the maturation of telemedicine generally was demonstrated in the growth of the Association's Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The SIGs hosted special forums during the meeting and several sponsored tutorials as well. SIG leaders gave their annual reports at the Annual Business Meeting including their agendas for the coming year and proposals for wider adoption by the ATA. All SIGs reported record turnout at their forums, and all proposed an active agenda for programs and activities for the coming year. These include special meetings, development of policy and clinical guidelines and discussion groups. To support these expanded efforts, individual Internet list servers and web pages will be available for each SIG for communication among the members.

International Initiatives in Telemedicine

A major theme throughout the meeting was the increasingly international scope of telemedicine and the strong interest of the ATA in promoting international collaboration. In addition to numerous presentations about telemedicine activities and research in other countries and efforts occurring between nations, over 250 delegates at this meeting were from other countries.

The International Pavilion on the exhibit floor provided an important gathering point where delegates from the US and other countries held informal discussions about approaches taken to deploy telemedicine around the world. Representatives from several nations provided brief overviews in the Pavilion about telemedicine activities in their respective countries.

Telemedicine Memorandum of Understanding between the
U.S. Army Medical Department and the Kingdom of Norway Ministry of Defense

Exhibitors Report Serious, Focused Interest Among Consumers

The market for telemedicine products and services appears to be holding steady, if not expanding, according to ATA's corporate participants. While high-tech and e-health companies have been experiencing significant retrenchment in recent months, healthcare decision-makers around the world seem to be turning to telemedicine to contain cost and expand access to medical care.

Almost 100 exhibitors showcased their products and services at the exposition.

ATA President's Award Goes to Montana, Other Awards Announced

The Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network received the 2002 ATA President's Award, which was announced at the opening session. The program is located in Billings Montana. Thelma McClosky Armstrong, director of the program, received the award on behalf of the institution.

Also during the meeting, ten poster presentations received special recognition and the military announced its annual MRMC Thurman Award. A complete listing of the awards is available here.

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Obtaining More Information From the Meeting

Additional information about the presentations provided at the meeting can be obtained in several ways. Abstracts of the presentations were included in the Spring 2002 edition of the Telemedicine Journal and e-Health. Many of the concurrent sessions included PowerPoint presentations and written handouts which are available here. Audiotapes of the sessions are available for purchase at http://www.aven.com/index.cfm.