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American TeleCare, Inc., was re-selected by the Informatics for Diabetes Education and Telemedicine (IDEATel) Consortium as the primary telehealth technology provider for another four-year, $4.5 million project serving rural and inner-city New York residents with diabetes.

The IDEATel project is the largest telemedicine research study ever funded by the federal government with over 1,600 patients to date randomized into the study. The project originally began in 2000 to study the efficacy of telemedicine in improving patients' quality-of-life and reducing overall health care costs. Because of the initial success of the project, Congress extended the study for an additional four years.

"With telemedicine, we are giving patients the tools they need to take control of their diabetes and take better care of themselves through monitoring, access to information and education," said Steven Shea, M.D., Chief, Division of General Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, the Hamilton Southworth Professor of Medicine and Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the project's Principal Investigator. "We're delighted to continue our relationship with American TeleCare as the project's provider of home telehealth technology."

American TeleCare unveiled its first video telehealth unit ten years ago and has continued to develop and enhance this innovative technology that is improving the lives of thousands of people throughout the United States and Canada. Now, without ever leaving the office or clinic, doctors and nurses can make personal "visits" to patients, at home, using state-of-the-art technology which simultaneously transmits voice and video combined with clinical data streams from medical peripherals – such as blood pressure monitors, stethoscopes and glucose meters – all over standard telephone lines.

"It is an honor to be an integral part of the largest ever federal telemedicine research study," said Randy Moore, M.D., CEO of American TeleCare. "What pleases us most is the positive impact telehealth has on patients. For those living with diabetes, this technology can give them the tools to take control of their disease."

The diabetes telemedicine program is a collaborative effort led by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, the Joslin Diabetes Center and State University of New York Upstate Medical University (Syracuse, NY), the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Harlem Hospital Center, the Harlem Renaissance Network, Arnot Ogden Medical Center (Elmira, NY), Olean General Hospital (Olean, NY), Samaritan Medical Center (Watertown,NY), Hudson Headwaters Health Network (Glens Falls, NY), the Hebrew Home for the Aged at Riverdale, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

American TeleCare is dedicated to improving outcomes while lowering health care costs and has been since its formation in 1993. ATI provides technology-enabled patient care management solutions, featuring live audio/video/data communication and integrated medical peripherals. ATI's telehealth solutions enable remote, real-time clinical interactions – resulting in increased efficiency in patient care delivery, improved outcomes and increased patient and clinician satisfaction while lowering costs. For more information, visit www.americantelecare.com or call 800-323-6667.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – based in New York City – is the largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital in the country, with 2,397 beds. It provides state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory, and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, The Allen Pavilion, and The Westchester Division. One of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education, and community service. It consistently ranks as one of the top hospitals in the country in U.S.News & World Report's guide to 15 major teaching hospitals, and in many other leading surveys. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the country's leading medical colleges: Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System – which includes acute-care and community hospitals, long-term care facilities, ambulatory sites, and specialty institutes – is committed to providing high-quality, cost-effective, and conveniently accessible care to communities throughout the tri-state metropolitan region. The System serves one in four patients in the New York metropolitan area.