HHS recently announced a new program providing bonuses to doctors using electronic health records – part of a broader push that may yet include new legislation by year’s end. The new program will provide through Medicare about $150 million extra over five years to physicians in selected areas who replace paper medical records with electronic versions.

Click here to listen to HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt’s announcement

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NextGenWeb recently conducted a podcast interview with Dr. Terry Rabinowitz, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and Telemedicine Services Associate Director at the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center.

Click below to hear Dr. Rabinowitz explain the innovative broadband applications that are being used to ensure that care is provided quickly and easily to historically underserved populations.   Dr. Rabinowitz also explains how he uses broadband in the field of tele-psychiatry.   Every day, numerous consultations are performed over video-conferencing to treat countless patients for mental health conditions.   The methods of Dr. Rabinowitz have been so successful that his model has been adopted by several hospitals and health programs across the Northeast and more patients are realizing the promise broadband can bring to better health care.

Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview with Dr. Terry Rabinowitz

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Rex Nelson of the Delta Regional Authority delivered a podcast interview with NextGenWeb discussing the social and economic conditions of the Mississippi Delta Region and why he believes broadband access is vital to the region’s future. Mr. Nelson explains the mission of the federal-state partnership to give a voice to the residents of the region and identify economic growth opportunities. In this podcast interview he highlights the role technology plays in rural communities of the delta region and how residents have leveraged information technology to improve the quality of life in one of the poorest areas of the country. Mr. Nelson also highlights several e-health and distance learning initiatives currently in the Delta Region, as well as the specific details of workforce programs in the Delta Regional Authority development policy plan. These initiatives have been highlighted in a comprehensive plan titled “iDelta: Information Technology in the Delta”.

Click here to listen to the podcast

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In this interview, Joy Howell, the Director of the “How Broadband Changed My Life Campaign” at the Alliance for Public Technology, discusses how broadband is leveling the playing field for the elderly. Joy highlights how broadband is enabling seniors to live independently and keeping them better connected to their families and communities. Joy also emphasizes how the use of broadband technologies provides seniors with vital health care information and increases access to specialists who may be thousands of miles away. Joy concludes, “Broadband is changing people’s lives in every possible way”.

Click here to listen to a podcast of the interview

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NextGenWeb recently hosted a briefing on Capital Hill titled “The Potential and Promises of Broadband”. Featured speakers  included Congressman Zack Space representing Ohio’s 18th Congressional District, Michael Manley, Outreach Director at the UAMS Center for Distance Health, Ronald Blackburn-Moreno, President of ASPIRA Association, and Tom McDonald, CEO of  BeSafe. The purpose of the event was to provide the speakers a platform  to share  how broadband has positively impacted their respective fields, including  healthcare, education, and public safety. Michael Manley of the UAMS Center for Distance Health discussed how the ANGELS program in Arkansas is bringing high  quality health care to residents that have historically been underserved.

To Hear Michael Manley’s Remarks, Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently hosted a Stakeholder Briefing on Capital Hill titled “The Potential and Promises of Broadband”. Featured speakers at the event included Congressman Zack Space (Ohio’s 18th Congressional District), Michael Manley (Outreach Director, UAMS Center for Distance Health), Ronald Blackburn-Moreno (President, ASPIRA Association Inc.), and Tom McDonald (CEO, BeSafe). The purpose of the event was to provide the speakers a platform where they shared how broadband has positively impacted their respective fields, including the economy, healthcare, education, and public safety. Congressman Space discussed specific instances in which broadband has led to more job growth and greater opportunity for people in his district.

To hear Congressman Space’s remarks, Click Here

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NextGenWeb recently spoke with Geraldine Tibbs, Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Madison County School District located in northern Alabama.

The Madison County School District participates in the ACCESS Distance Learning Program. The acronym stands for Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators and Students Statewide, a state-funded initiative that uses broadband to connect students to classes in other schools. The program is available to 23,000 students in 170 high schools across the state. As a result, young people in rural and underserved areas are able to access advanced courses not available at their own schools. Larger schools are also able to use the program to enhance their own course offerings.

The ACCESS program is producing good results. School districts are sharing resources, expanding educational opportunities and creating a more dynamic learning environment; all of this is possible through the power of broadband.

Click here listen to our interview with Geraldine Tibbs.

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NextGenWeb recently attended the Alliance for Public Technology luncheon “bringing educational opportunities to rural and urban America”. The event included a live demonstration of PEBBLES. PEBBLES is an innovative system that combines video conferencing technologies with simple robotics technology to allow medically fragile students confined in the hospital or at home to attend his/her school. Stephen Wooten, the second place winner of APT’s “how broadband changed my life contest” spoke about the educational opportunities that were opened to him through broadband technology. The event also featured findings from a forthcoming report examining the impacts of IT on education. Robert Atkinson president of the information technology and innovation foundation discussed how IT and broadband can improve education.

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NGW recently spoke with Fritz Nordengren, Education Technology Strategist for the College of Health Sciences at Des Moines University. Our podcast explores how broadband technology has enhanced the educational experience for students and professors at the College of Health Sciences and how new media has revolutionized the classroom environment.

Click here to listen to part one of our interview with Fritz Nordengren.

Click here to listen to part two of our interview with Fritz Nordengren.

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When Ft. Wayne, Indiana Mayor Graham Richard took office in 2000, he formed a team dedicated to incorporating technology into the community’s public safety programs.   In a few short years, this task force has created a highly mobile and efficient first responder community.  

Broadband access in Ft. Wayne has led to the establishment of the following public safety initiatives:

• Firehouse College: Firefighters connect with online educational resources while they are in-between response calls.     By educating the firefighters and leveraging their time with training, the community is creating a better prepared and efficient group of first responders.
• Training: A brand new, $27 million high-tech facility was built in Ft. Wayne to coordinate collaborative communication efforts between the 5,000 public safety volunteers in the local five county region.   This coordination center has partnered with similar organizations in the country to create a national public safety community for information and best practice sharing.  
• More secure and efficient ways to store and transmit data: Using remote broadband connections, public safety officials are able to send and receive data in real-time from the scene of the crime.

These initiatives created through the use of broadband technology have lowered crime in the Ft. Wayne area to the lowest level in 27 years.

Since 2001, the community has had a steady decrease in the crime rate.   For 2007, as of the end of October, Ft. Wayne experienced a 5.5% decline.

To listen to our podcast with Mayor Richard, click the link below

• Click here to listen to the podcast

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