Alaska Communications signed a new, three-year strategic agreement with the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNHA) to provide the Alaska Rural Telehealth Network (ARTN), a network of small, rural and remote hospitals and clinics across Alaska, with managed network and videoconferencing services.
Alaska Communications signed a new, three-year strategic agreement with the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association (ASHNHA) to provide the Alaska Rural Telehealth Network (ARTN), a network of small, rural and remote hospitals and clinics across Alaska, with managed network and videoconferencing services.
The Alaska Rural Telehealth Network provides its six member hospitals and clinics with access to specialty physicians and state-of-the-art health care through telemedicine services, including teleradiology and digital imaging. It is designed to serve more than 50 percent of Alaska's rural and remote population.
Under the terms of the agreement, Alaska Communications will provide transport for imaging and teleradiology, videoconferencing, Internet, voice over Internet and other managed services to ARTN's members across Alaska.
The services provided by Alaska Communications enable ARTN's member hospitals and clinics to connect patients in rural Alaska to health care providers, even when a doctor or specialist is not available on site. Additionally, the services facilitate ongoing distance education for workers in the rural clinics.
“The Association needs a secure network and services that it can depend on to deliver health care to our patients across the state,” said Karen Perdue, ASHNHA President and CEO. “Alaska Communications' proven track record for outstanding customer service, managing complex data networks, high-definition videoconferencing capabilities and expansive medical networks in Alaska and the lower 48 made Alaska Communications the ideal partner for us.”
“The ARTN network is a great example of how technology can transform the delivery of health care. Our medical network takes advantage of all of our business data solutions — connectivity, videoconferencing and professional IT services from our partner, TekMate. Combining those with medical-grade data security and around-the-clock network monitoring and customer service, we effectively increase the access to, and the quality of, health care for patients in rural and remote Alaska,” said Michael Wynschenk, Alaska Communications Senior VP of Sales.