Twenty-first century health care: new technology provides critical care to Alaskans.

AuthorBohi, Heidi
PositionHEALTH CARE

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Gone are the days when Alaskans routinely traveled Outside to seek second opinions and have specialized surgeries, convinced that the health care practitioners and technology available in Alaska were inferior to what was being offered in the larger metropolitan areas. Today, as developments in health care technology advance nationally--annual spending on health care increased from $75 billion in 1970 to $2 trillion in 2005, and is estimated to reach $4 trillion in 2015--Alaska's health care industry reflects this same trend. Statewide, facilities are investing in innovative health care technology--including equipment, processes, and treatments--that position the industry here as one to be reckoned with as it increasingly attracts the best physicians and specialists in the country, each contributing to the patient demand for new technology.

TELEMEDICINE: A BOON TO RURAL AREAS

Serving rural Alaska residents presents special challenges and barriers in accessing health care. In addition to having a population that has some of the greatest health care needs in the country, weather and logistics often limit access to care where it is available in larger cities. However, since 1971, the use of telemedicine and telehealth has been making an important impact on improving this and this new system has resulted in the rapid improvement of interactions between the patient, health care professionals and the health care organization. Today, patients in these Bush communities, many of whom are Alaska Native, have better and timely access to critical care in medical disciplines, such as cardiology, pediatrics and radiology. Cooperative efforts by local, State and tribal leaders have greatly improved timely delivery and new developments that are currently in the planning stages that promise to transform the system into one that delivers high-quality care at low cost, right from their home community.

Many factors influence innovation in medical care: consumer demand for better health, increasing incomes and increased public awareness of medical technology through the media, Internet and direct-to-consumer advertising. Health insurance companies that provide payment for new technology also encourage medical advances. Whether these new technologies increase the cost of health care is debatable and depends on many variables: does it reduce the number of treatments needed, reduce travel expenses or lead to savings down the road? One thing is certain. These new advances increase life expectancy, which affects both the type and amount of health care that Alaskans use in their lifetime

ALASKA REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Endovascular Coiling--Alaska Regional Hospital is the only health care facility in Alaska that offers endovascular coiling, a non-surgical treatment performed to stop blood flow into an aneurysm and minimize the risk of rupture. Left untreated, this condition often results in stroke, the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., the fourth in Alaska, and a leading cause of adult disability.

Also known as "brain surgery without the surgery," endovascular coiling became available in Alaska when the hospital completed its endovascular neuroradiology suite in early 2008, and today is used to treat about 15 patients per month. Dr. Marshall Tolbert, a neurosurgeon and endovascular neuroradiologist, specially trained in the insertion of catheters into the vessels to be treated such as the brain, spine, head and neck, is the only physician in Alaska performing this kind of procedure.

According to Tolbert, the process involves threading a small catheter from the patient's groin through blood vessels to access the aneurysm in the brain. Detachable coils are passed through the catheter and released into the aneurysm, filling it up so blood can no longer enter the aneurysm. The traditional method of brain surgery requires removing part of the patient's skull to access the aneurysm by moving the brain tissue aside. Deciding between the coiling process and traditional surgery depends on the patient's aneurysm and other variables. Because the...

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