FONEMED Brings Telemedicine Technology to Northern New Mexico

(November 7, 1997) Colorado Springs, Colorado - The Kit Carson Electrical Cooperative, which serves Taos, New Mexico and the surrounding community, 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 in English and over 500 in Spanish; and the most comprehensive discount pharmaceutical program in the nation. The pilot project will include 5,000 member households and may soon include every member of the Electrical Cooperative.

Bob Hill, 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 only one local hospital, where the average visit is over $200 and several miles away, we believe we can save the residents of Taos County 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 medical call center."

Luis Reyes, General Manager of Kit Carson Electrical Cooperative, stated the role this service will play in the community. "We are very excited to initiate the FONEMED program in Taos County. 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 month, 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 do not have medical insurance."

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 with topics in English and Spanish.