UAMS establishes Institute for Digital Health & Innovation; Lowery named director

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has established the Institute for Digital Health & Innovation, and named Dr. Curtis Lowery, as its director.

Lowery is the founder and medical director of the UAMS Center for Distance Health. He also served for many years as chair of the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the College of Medicine. Dr. C. Lowry Barnes will serve as interim chair of the department while a search for a permanent chair is conducted. Barnes is chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Digital health is delivering health care through technology such as smartphones, interactive live video, wearable devices and personal computers. It reduces the cost of health care and improves access for patients, especially in a rural environment like the state of Arkansas.

“As we continue into the new year, I believe this new institute will better position UAMS for the future and support our efforts to serve our patients and students,” UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson said in a statement. “We want to ensure access to UAMS through technology and more partnerships in communities across the state. Our idea is not to swoop in and pull people out of those communities using digital technology. It’s the opposite. We want to provide access so they can get care where they are.”

Lowery, according to a news release, has received numerous awards and has been recognized nationally for his pioneering work in distance health. In the first six to 12 months, Lowery said, a top goal of the institute will be to distribute software and technology to patients so they can take part in live video consultations 24 hours a day, seven days a week with physicians and other health care professionals. That technology also will make it possible for providers to collect health data from patients continuously to guide their care and reduce the need for office visits or a trip to a hospital Emergency Department.

The institute, according to the release, can expand on existing relationships between UAMS and rural hospitals to provide access to medical specialties that aren’t in those communities. Increased access to specialists can reduce health care costs by reducing the need to transfer patients from rural hospitals to larger medical centers such as UAMS where those specialists often are more commonly practicing.

The Institute for Digital Health & Innovation will include the UAMS Center for Distance Health. Its programs, services and staff will be integrated into the new institute. The center currently connects all but a few hospitals and clinics across the state with telemedicine, continuing medical and health education, public health education, and evaluation research through interactive video.