The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center has awarded more than $15 million to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center's Department of Neurosurgery to expand the institution's telehealth infrastructure, Sens. Tom Udall (D) and Martin Heinrich (D) announced this week. The money will support the Access to Critical Cerebral Emergency Support Services initiative, the focus of which is to boost availability of emergency neurological care. The money ensures that 30 hospitals throughout New Mexico will have remote emergency neurological and neurosurgical consultation capabilities. Medicare or Medicaid enrollees will be able to undergo such consultations at no cost.
"Small hospitals provide essential emergency services in many of New Mexico's rural communities, and telehealth technologies are an effective way to expand patients' access to fast and reliable emergency care options," Udall said. "New Mexico has been a leader in telemedicine, and this project is another example of how to build a medical network statewide to support rural health care." Announcement