Dr. Curtis Lowery
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock
Arkansas is a state at the forefront of telemedicine, thanks to the vision and expertise of Dr. Curtis Lowery Jr. of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. As UAMS Chancellor Dr. Dan Rahn put it, “In Arkansas, if it’s telemedicine, Dr. Lowery had some hand in support of its creation.”
Alabama-born and educated, Lowery is the chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UAMS College of Medicine, as well as founder and medical director of the UAMS Center for Distance Health (CDH).
Telemedicine is the use of medical information exchanged from one site to another via electronic communications to improve a patient’s clinical health status. A decade ago, telemedicine was used almost exclusively for long distance training in Arkansas. Lowery envisioned a system which would provide real-time diagnosis and consultation between a physician and a patient though the two are miles apart.
The upshot became ANGELS (Antenatal Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System) which harnesses technology to make such long-distance interactions possible. Telemedicine includes a growing variety of applications and services including two-way video, email, smart phones and wireless tools.
The telemedicine programs offered through UAMS, under Lowery’s direction, have multiplied substantially, aided greatly by a $102 million federal grant awarded in 2010 to establish or upgrade broadband connections and equipment at 474 health care and education sites across the state, today known as the E-Link network.
In addition to ANGELS, the CDH has launched a wide range of long-distance programs, including:
» Arkansas SAVES – Delivers telemedicine-based neurology consultation for patients with stroke symptoms in rural emergency rooms.
» TRIUMPH – Provides spinal cord injured patients with access to specialty care for post acute follow up and medication management.
» Center for Rural Health – Offers distance health care education to providers and consumers at 60 sites across Arkansas.
» PsychTLC – Provides access for primary care providers around the state to board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrists at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital through rapid phone consultation and for telemedicine consultations with patients and families.
» Trauma Hand Program – Provides hand surgeon expertise to hospital emergency departments via iPAD visualization for evaluation of hand trauma to direct care, streamlining transfers to most appropriate facility.
Last year, UAMS provided 3,465 telemedicine visits, ANGELS Call Center handled 17,829 calls for various obstetric services and support; 414 sites connected through Arkansas e-Link with 55,595 individual calls and 43,627 hours of calls; and labor and delivery education delivered live and online to 5,263 students.
Highlights:
» Dr. Lowery graduated from the University of Alabama and completed his residency in South Carolina
» Considered a pioneer in the field of telemedicine and created UAMS’ ANGELS program
» Founder and medical director of the UAMS Center for Distance Health (CDH) and chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the UAMS College of Medicine
» Countries on every continent but Antarctica have established interactive video connections with UAMS through the CDH
» Awarded a $102 million federal grant in 2010 to establish or upgrade broadband connections and equipment at 474 health care and education sites across the state, today known as the E-Link network.
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