FONEMED Brings Telemedicine Technology to Colorado’s Western Slope

(April 24, 1998) Colorado Springs, Colorado – Holy Cross Electric Association, Inc., which serves Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, and Pitkin Counties, will launch a telemedicine pilot project using the FONEMED Medical Call Center Service. This service will include 24-hour Nurse Advice and Triage; a 24-hour Audio Health Information Library, with over 1,800 topics; and the most comprehensive discount pharmaceutical program in the nation. The project will initially be offered to residents of the Battlement Mesa area and may soon include every member of the Electrical Cooperative.

Bob Gardner, spokesperson for Holy Cross Electric Association, stated the role this service will play in the community. "We are very excited to offer the FONEMED program to the residents of Battlement Mesa. With the existing infrastructure of the Electrical Cooperative in place, there is no reason the members should not have access to services like this one. For a few cents a day, they will now have access to the best medical information in the nation and a money saving pharmaceutical program. This is especially important for our members that are self insured or do not have medical insurance."

Bob Hill, FONEMED’s Director of Marketing, noted the importance of this project. "This pilot project gives us the chance to demonstrate how successful the FONEMED program can be for rural residents. With the cost of the average hospital visit approaching $350 and facilities located several miles away, we believe we can save the pilot participants significant time and money on their healthcare. Rural service is a key focus in our sales program because rural residents are the perfect candidates to reap the full benefits of a discount mail order pharmacy and medical call center."

FONEMED’s US and International operations are headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. In addition to establishing Call Centers abroad, FONEMED markets and manages Medical Call Center Services for US health plans, associations, non-profit organizations, businesses, public utilities, and the military. The FONEMED Medical Call Center provides 24-hour medical advice from Registered Nurses using the software designed by National Health Enhancement Systems (NHES), clinical algorithms developed by MICROMEDEXâ , and pediatric guidelines written by Dr. Barton Schmitt of Denver Children's Hospital. The call center also features the largest fully automated Audio Health Library in the health care industry.