UCHealth Adds Rural Telehealth Network Across Western Slope

UCHealth has expanded its rural telehealth network across Colorado's Western Slope, connecting patients in remote mountain communities with specialist medical consultations that would otherwise require lengthy travel to Denver or other larger metro areas.

Telehealth program director Alonzo Reyes says the expansion specifically targets specialist consultations in areas like dermatology, endocrinology, and certain cardiology follow-up appointments, specialties where an initial in-person examination often isn't strictly necessary for ongoing care. "We're not trying to replace in-person medicine," Reyes said. "We're trying to eliminate unnecessary travel for the portion of care that can genuinely happen well over video."

Identifying Which Specialties Work Well Remotely

UCHealth's telehealth expansion followed a careful clinical review process to determine which specialist consultations could be conducted effectively via telehealth without compromising care quality, a process that involved input from specialists themselves about the limitations of remote examination for their particular fields. Some specialties, like certain orthopedic evaluations requiring physical examination, were excluded from the telehealth program based on this clinical review.

The program has also invested in local telehealth access points at rural clinics for patients who may not have reliable home internet access or the technology needed for a video consultation, ensuring the program doesn't inadvertently exclude patients based on technology access disparities that are common in some rural areas.

Reducing Travel Burden for Rural Patients

Rural patients on Colorado's Western Slope have historically faced significant travel burdens to access specialist care, often requiring full-day trips to Denver or other larger metro areas for what might be a brief specialist appointment. UCHealth officials say patient feedback on the telehealth program has been strongly positive specifically because of the travel time and cost savings, even among patients who initially expressed skepticism about receiving care remotely.

UCHealth says it's evaluating expanding the telehealth network to additional specialties based on the program's reception so far, though officials emphasize that expansion decisions will continue to be guided by clinical appropriateness rather than convenience alone.