Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network

The Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network (AFHCAN) is managed by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). ANTHC is a tribal organization, as defined in 25 U.S.C. 450 (b) (c) and, along with the Southcentral Foundation, jointly manages and operates the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC), providing tertiary and specialty healthcare service in the state of Alaska, United States.

The Alaska Federal Healthcare Access Network (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 the data and respond to the case using a standard PC workstation.

First and foremost, AFHCAN continues to evolve and expand its services where the number of users and clinical services has grown significantly over the years. Telehealth connects approximately 180 Alaska Native community village clinics, 25 subregional clinics, 4 multiphysician health centers, 6 regional hospitals, and the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage. Approximately 75 percent of the AFHCAN’s telehealth usage is for primary care services.[1] Through growing acceptance of telehealth, more than 700 users in Alaska continually provide feedback and request new products and features. As a part of its mission, AFHCAN continues to review, develop, and deploy new telehealth technologies.

The AFHCAN system provides an innovative approach to ease of use, mobility, support for widely varying clinical workflows, and a robust communication platform. AFHCAN offers a whole product solution that includes: Store and Forward Telehealth Software; Automatic Software Updates; AFHCAN Telehealth Cart and other Platforms; Integrated Biomedical Peripherals; Clinical Workflow Assessments; Certified Training for Administrators, Users, and Support Staff; Service Level Agreements (SLAs); and Help Desk / Customer Support.