National Telehealth Network Needed to Help Combat Spread of Ebola, Other Infectious Diseases

NORFOLK, NE, Oct. 22 2014 – The United States should quickly ramp up in establishing a national telehealth network to help stem the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases, said AET CEO and founder Dr. Keith W. Vrbicky.

According to Dr. Vrbicky, one key component of the national telehealth network would include a global communications call center with real-time secure video conferencing and data transfer from anywhere in the world.

"A national telehealth network could save thousands of lives by further enhancing cooperation and collaboration between healthcare professionals to diagnose, educate and follow proper protocols for Ebola and other diseases being seen not only in humans, but in animals and potential bioterrorism in our food chain," said Dr. Vrbicky.

Secure mobile conferencing, for instance, would also allow for simultaneous multi-point connectivity to other appropriate specialists – pathologists, microbiologists, hematologists, etc., to collaborate on the care of the patient.

"This will result in improved outcomes. And telemedicine services will help minimize the amount of direct contact by healthcare workers to the patient and thus mitigate the risk of exposure and spread of disease," added Dr. Vrbicky.

Dr. Vrbicky also suggested that the national telehealth network could be situated in Omaha, a major technology/telecommunications hub (according to the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership, recognized names in the tech sector with a significant presence in the region include Google, Verizon, Yahoo! and West). Numerous nationwide companies already have major call center operations located in Omaha, including PayPal, Cox Communications and Aflac.

"Finding and training qualified people for a national telehealth network in the region wouldn't be challenging and could be done very quickly – and in addition to providing an invaluable public service that will help save lives, it will also create hundreds of jobs."

About AET

Norfolk, NE-based AET, established in 1999, provides distance eliminating e-Health solutions by offering customized services for healthcare providers, clients and patients. Services are provided over secure, scalable robust platforms. AET has developed, implemented and managed e-Health systems that are affordable, sustainable and deliver the quality of services expected by both patient and doctor. AET has also added complementary services for e-Education, telemedicine, business to business, and many more.

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