During the consultation, the physician is in a room on the fifth floor of the Health Science Center's Medical School in San Antonio. The patients are at South Texas Hospital, an 84-bed facility in Harlingen. The oncologists still make their monthly visits by car, but distance no longer prevents any patient from getting quick and expert attention. Dr. Legler, associate professor of family practice medicine, is a medical informatics fellow with the National Library of Medicine . The consultations have been expanded to include tuberculosis patients.
Tuberculosis is a serious health problem in South Texas.
Barbara J. Seaworth, MD, an infectious disease specialist from the San Antonio State Chest Hospital, consults with physicians and patients at Harlingen once a week. The physicians average about 20 consultations per month, and say patients feel at ease during the sessions. B esides saving time, the telehealth system may prove to save money, too. A cost-benefit analysis of the project is being conducted by Dr. Legler and economists with the university's Center for Health Economics and Policy. In a telehealth session, people at both ends see each other on color monitors.