The Division of Information Technology (DIT) is responsible for coordinating information and technology services among ANTHC divisions, the signers of the Alaska Tribal Health System (ATHS) memorandum of understanding, and with other ANTHC health care partners such as the Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership (AFHCP), the Alaska Telehealth Advisory Council (ATAC), and the Indian Health Service (IHS).
DIT includes five departments:
Alaska Clinical Engineering Services (ACES) provides clinical engineering and biomedical services at over 100 locations in Alaska including the Alaska Native Medical Center. They provide design and support consultation for biomedical systems and teleradiology services.
Data & Site Support (DSS) provides support throughout Alaska for the Resource and Patient Management System (
RPMS), the automated medical records system provided by the Indian Health Service.
Health Statistics (HS) provides a wide range of health care and demographic information and statistical analyses based on data from ATHS partners and the Indian Health Service.
Telemedicine, or the Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network (AFHCAN) office, provides integrated telehealth products (including hardware and software) and services (including support and training) to maximize the ability for organizations to provide clinical care through telehealth. AFHCAN offers a diagnostic "store and forward" telehealth platform with the ability to create a telemedicine case with textual information and data from biomedical peripherals, and send data for consultation. Health care professionals are able to view data and respond to the case using a standard PC workstation. Almost 300 platforms (the "AFHCAN Cart") have been placed in over 200 sites, and more than 20,000 clinical cases have been processed.
Wide Area Network (WAN) manages the wide area network that supports ATHS and AFHCP. This secure private medical network is the "backbone" for a variety of telehealth services, including teleradiology, telepharmacy, RPMS, and the AFHCAN system. The WAN staff is currently working on the design and implementation of a statewide managed videoconferencing network funded in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce Technology Opportunities Program (TOP).
