studies of high school athletes, cheerleaders,
and other contact sports players, so if a kid
gets hit in the head, the new scan can be
compared with the baseline to see if there’s
a concussion.”
data. One striking example: the National
Rural Health Association counted 48 rural
hospital closures since 2010 – with 31 of
those closures occurring over the last two
years.
Copper Queen also is scoring well on patient
satisfaction – it was a remarkable 90 percent
among ER patients last year – and Mr.
Dickson believes telemedicine is again part
of the equation.
In Arizona, the 70-bed Hualapai Mountain
Medical Center in Kingman closed in
September 2011, but has been bought by
Kingman Regional Medical Center for use
as an acute rehabilitation unit. And Florence
Community Healthcare, with 25 beds, closed
in June 2012.
“We initially thought that a television
would create a barrier, a not-so-caring
environment,” he says. “But it’s not true.
When the doctor comes on, the patient is
just so happy to have a specialist like that in
a small hospital.
What you have to do is develop your
hospital’s culture so that staff accept the
addition of telemedicine to your delivery
system“What you have to do is develop your
hospital’s culture so that staff accept the
addition of telemedicine to your delivery
system.”
Dan Derksen, MD, director of the Center for
Rural Health in the University of Arizona’s
Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public
Health, keeps a close eye on rural hospital
“Jim Dickson is incredibly creative,
including his success in creating linkages to
telemedicine, to make sure health care stays
in his community as much as possible,” Dr.
Derksen says. “Another thing Jim has done
as well as anyone is to expand his revenue
portfolio by establishing his three primary
care clinics, along with ancillary services like
lab and X-ray.
Arizona’s Legislature voted to reduce
hospital payments from the state’s Medicaid
program – the Arizona Health Care Cost
Containment System, or AHCCCS – by 5
percent this year. Some legislators also are
considering lowering eligibility for AHCCCS
from 100 percent to 33 percent of federal
poverty level.
The nation’s hospitals will take another hit
if the U.S. Supreme Court sides with the
plaintiffs in a pending case that questions
the legality of the subsidies paid to the
8.7 million Americans who signed up for
coverage from the Affordable Care Act in the
34 states, including Arizona, with federal
marketplace “exchanges.” Those buying
coverage in state-run exchanges would not
be affected. The Obama administration says
the subsidies are needed to make coverage
more affordable for low- and middle-income
families. The Court is expected to decide the
case in June.
“The storm clouds are looming,” Dr. Derksen
says. “But Copper Queen is doing well. They
keep track of patient satisfaction and quality.
They are respected and dedicated to making
sure that the services their community needs
are there.”
“With telecardiology,
in six months, we
saved over $1.4 million
in transportation fees,
by not having to ship
people with atrial fib to
Tucson and Phoenix.“
– Jim Dickson
17