I spoke last week to the Wisconsin State Telecommunications Association, because I believe the work we are doing at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin depends on what our state and nation are doing to ensure that all communities, including rural areas, have access to high-speed Internet.   We leverage broadband to optimize medical care.

The Marshfield Clinic serves most of northern Wisconsin through 43 regional centers, with more than 1,000 physicians and non-physician providers.   In 2007, we had 3.5 million patient encounters.

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State Efforts to Expand Broadband Access
National Governors Association
May 20, 2008

• Broadband communication is radically transforming the way in which Americans use the Internet by providing the ability to access voice, video, and data through a single network.
• There are benefits in having access to educational institutions or telemedicine applications through the Internet.
• The study recommends a variety of successful approaches to spur broadband in the states.

Click here to read an executive summary of the study.

Click here to read the full study.

Click here to read the full article.

Click below to watch highlights of their presentations.

• Net job growth of 50,748 jobs from increase in broadband deployment. (Connected Nation, The Economic Impact of Stimulating Broadband Nationally)

Dr. Edna DeVries, Medical Director at the Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin provided a practitioner’s perspective on the role of IT in medical practices. Rob Atkinson, President of ITIF and Daniel Castro Senior Analyst at ITIF discussed the benefits of establishing independent health record data banks as a sustainable and market-based approach to implementing Electronic Health Records. Finally, Nancy Johnson, a leading former member of Congress and co-chair of HealthITNow discussed the importance of IT for transforming the American health care system.