The University of Washington has historically been working with communities in the remote regions of the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho). As the Regional Medical Center, the University of Washington School of Medicine took on the dual commitment of community-based teaching and rural health care over 30 years ago as a response to the shortage of primary care doctors in rural areas. Although the WWAMI region encompasses one-quarter of the landmass of the nation, it makes up merely 5% of the population. The problems posed by the distances involved are being overcome by the use of teleconferencing.

Keys to success in Telehealth:

• Our use of telehealth technology was successful only because it was built into an existing program of onsite outreach clinics.
  
  
• Nearly all our teleconsultants have prior and continuing onsite working relationships in the rural communities.