Montana

State Demographics
RUPRI Demographics & Economic Profile: Montana

Rural Assistance Center (RAC) State Profile

U.S. Census Bureau State & County Quick Facts

USDA State Fact Sheets: Montana

Legislation
Montana Telemedicine Legislation
State telemedicine legislation addresses various providers, including physicians, dentists, chiropractors, nurses, and other health professionals. This site includes telemedicine-related laws; however, it does not include all appropriations bills that fund telemedicine initiatives.

Telemedicine
Partners in Health Telemedicine Network
Partners in Health Telemedicine Network facilitates interactive videoconferencing for telemedicine applications. The network includes eight hospitals, six outpatient clinics, two mental health facilities, and six specialty physician practices.

Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) Rural Te
The purpose of the project is to explore the utility of telemedicine consultation by a tertiary care medical school facility to the clinicians and patients of six remote towns in the Northwest: Colville, Washington; Petersburg, Alaska; Ronan, Montana; Driggs, Idaho; Pomeroy, Washington; and Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network
Eastern Montana Telemedicine Network is a consortium of not-for-profit medical and mental health facilities linking health care providers and their patients throughout Montana and Wyoming.

Home Telehealth Programs
Telehealth programs listed by state.

REACH Montana
REACH Montana is a consortium of health care providers linked to each other through telemedicine technology that includes two-way, full-motion video.

Telemedicine Information Exchange
A list of telemedicine and telehealth programs for all states.

Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO)
HIMSS HIT Dashboard
Click on your state to see a list of Health Information Exchanges (HIE) and Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO) and other Health Information Technology related projects going on throughout the states.

Grant Funded HIT Projects
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) HIT Grants
In September 2004, the Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ) awarded $139 million in contracts and grants to promote the use of health information technology (health IT) through the development of networks for sharing clinical data as well as projects for planning, implementing, and demonstrating the value of health IT. Click on the link above to see what grants have been awarded in this state.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Telehealth G
In 2005, HRSA administered 159 telehealth/telemedicine projects. Of those, 92 were awarded funds totaling more than $34.9 million. Projects receive funds in one of four ways: The Telehealth Network Grant Program, Rural Telemedicine Grant Program, Congressionally Mandated Projects, and Special Projects.

NLM Knowledge Management & Applied Information Grants
Grants to health-related and scientific organizations that wish to optimize the utility of clinical and research information.NLM anticipates making 8-10 new awards each year, spending approximately $4 million per year to support new awards in this program.

RAC's List of Funding Opportunities for Montana
Up-to-date summaries of funding programs are provided by RAC for your convenience. Please contact the funder directly for the most complete and current information.

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Distance Learning
Follow the link above to see what USDA Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program Awards have been given out in this state.


HIT Survey Information
Montana's Responses for the 2006 TASC HIT Survey
The Technical Assistance and Services Center (TASC) surveyed 37 Critical Access Hospitals in Montana to identify their use of HIT. A summary of the survey is as follows:
  • 27% of hospitals have a formal IT plan
  • 51% have funding included in their budget for purchasing information technology
  • 15 of 37 hospitals said they have their clinicians use handheld computers/ PDAs
  • 8% of the hospitals surveyed have nurses using handheld PDAs
  • All hospitals have internet (95% high-speed, 8% wireless, 3% dial-up)
  • 70% of hospitals said they have encrypted secure e-mail access for all staff to protect patient confidentiality
  • 100% have computerized claims submissions and 97% have computerized patient billing
  • 92% have computerized payroll
  • 78% have computerized registration and admission
  • 3 hospitals use bar-coded patient identification bracelets
  • 76% of hospitals surveyed do not use electronic medical records
  • 14% keep physician's notes and 22% keep vital signs records in electronic format
  • 27% of hospital pharmacies have computerized allergy and drug interactions and 22% have computerized dose recommendations
  • 19% of hospital pharmacies have an automated medication dispensing machine
  • 19% of the hospitals use telepharmacy
  • 38% have computerized clinician review of radiology results
  • 25 out of 37 hospitals use teleradiology technology to transmit images electronically
  • 13 out of 37 hospitals use telemedicine to consult with clinicians at other sites regarding patient diagnosis and/or treatment
  • 46% of the hospitals transmit EKG tracings electronically to clinicians at other sites
  • 70% of hospitals do not share clinical data with selected other departments within the hospital
  • 46% of hospitals surveyed have physician offices or clinics connected electronically to the hospital's information system
  • 41% have long-term care facilities connected electronically to the hospital's information system
  • 32% of the hospitals share clinical data electronically with other hospitals

Other HIT Activities
Montana Health Information Technology Initiatives

Montana State Office of Rural Health

For additional information, please visit the Rural Health Resource Center web site at www.ruralcenter.org.