Telepathology as an essential networking tool in VISN 12 of the United States Veterans health administration

Abstract

The Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, has implemented a telepathology network between the seven hospital laboratories located in three states linked by an economical, high-speed wide area network (WAN). In addition to telepathology, the WAN enables real-time teleradiology, telefluoroscopy, telenuclear medicine imaging, telepsychiatry, and other forms of telemedicine between selected sites within VISN 12. Current applications of telepathology include primary diagnosis (including interpretation of routine paraffin embedded tissue and frozen sections) and consultation in surgical pathology, provision of support for primary microbiology laboratories, and review of selected peripheral blood smears and body fluids. In addition, autopsy and clinical specialty conferences are performed routinely using telepathology. The majority of telepathology functions are provided to the three hospitals (Iron Mountain, Michigan; Tomah, Wisconsin; and North Chicago, Illinois) that lack on-site pathologists. Further, digital images generated using the telepathology system are used at tumor boards and other clinical conferences at all sites within VISN 12. Implementation of telepathology has allowed VISN 12 to provide a single standard of accurate and timely pathology and laboratory medicine service, even at small hospitals that lack an on-site pathologist. © Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2009.