To address disparities in access to health care in rural areas, the National Institutes of Health’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health office is seeking to create a scalable vehicle platform that can provide advanced medical services outside of a hospital setting.
WHY IT MATTERS
According to ARPA-H’s Accelerating Rural Access to Distributed & Integrated Medical Care requestation draft platform, rural populations are subject to higher rates of heart disease, cancer, trauma, lung disease and stroke than urban Americans.
The situation calls for a fundamental change in the way care is delivered to rural Americans, Dr. Bon Ku ARPA-H PARADIGM program manager said in Tuesday’s invitation announcement.
To improve early detection and management of high-risk diseases and improve access to care,
NIH envisions mobile health platforms in the form of rugged electric vehicles with all the bells and whistles of the health care systems that would deploy them on a large scale.
On board would be many different medical devices to treat a wide variety of health problems, and they will have to be lighter, faster and connected.
“Achieving this goal will involve multiple parallel work streams,” ARPA-H said in the design request.
With PARADIGM, ARPA-H aims to pioneer new developments in point-of-care diagnostics, ensure seamless data exchange between medical devices and electronic health records, and provide real-time guidance for medical tasks.
These include the development of a miniaturized, self-shielded CT scanner that achieves >80% reduction in size, weight, and power over standard scanners, along with software that remotely connects medical devices to electronic health records and provides real-time, interactive decision support.
With a robust mobile health center that can deliver “advanced and customized care services,” rural health workers would be able to “perform functions beyond their usual training,” ARPA-H said.
Once created, the plan is for healthcare systems to test them across the country to evaluate clinical efficacy and financial sustainability.
“Telehealth has revolutionized access to primary care and mental health care,” Ku noted. “PARADIGM will do the same for advanced care at the hospital level.”
ARPA-H plans to host a day the week of February 12 for teams that register in Phoenix, Arizona. PARADIGM abstracts are due by February 27 and full proposals by April.
THE BIG TREND
Virtual care and remote patient monitoring are two interconnected healthcare technologies that have helped scale healthcare beyond the walls of a hospital and improve access to care in rural communities.
For example, telehealth has helped many rural patients access specialists while staying within their local community. Similarly, RPM has helped solve many problems faced by patients and providers in rural areas, such as adherence to care plans, medication adherence, and vital sign monitoring.
However, “While there is a need for (RPM) in rural areas due to inadequate resources and limited access to medical facilities, actual use is low,” says Kimberly O’Loughlin, CEO of Health Recovery Solutions, a company that helps patients recover monitor distance.
She said Healthcare IT news in June that staffing shortages, budget cuts and low patient volumes have forced some rural hospitals to close their doors or limit services.
Also, some patients who do not see their healthcare providers in person may not understand their condition and treatment regimen.
“RPM programs are not one-size-fits-all and must evolve and expand for maximum benefit and impact,” she said.
ON THE RECORD
“Imagine being able to offer advanced imaging tests, multi-cancer screenings, perinatal care and essential medical services on a mobile medical platform that meets patients wherever they are,” ARPA-H Director Renee Wegrzyn said in a statement.
“This would allow so many Americans who cannot go to a hospital to be treated for many different diseases and conditions. The impact of the program has the potential to resonate far beyond the borders of a map and reach into the lives and well-being of countless individuals across the country,” she added.
Andrea Fox is editor-in-chief of Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a HIMSS Media publication.