Barbara Johnston, MSN

Barbara has been working in Telemedicine since 1995 when she was the Research Manager for the Kaiser Permanente randomized clinical trial on Telehomecare.  This study on telehomecare which was published in the Archives of Family Medicine in 2000 continues to be referred to as a benchmark study in telehomecare.  Barbara has undertaken both program development and research regarding clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of Telemedicine.  She was also an investigator for the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research where she assisted in the development an online mental health disease management program.

In 2001 Barbara was recruited to work as the Chief Operating Officer for a private company in Australia that developed a virtual private health network. During her two year stay in Australia, she was also appointed to work as an advisor to the Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization that focused on Telemedicine. She was also invited to speak and provide consultation to several international organizations including those in Singapore, India, Taiwan, England, Norway, and New Zealand.

Barbara's work as the Executive Director for the California Telemedicine & eHealth Center focused on expanding healthcare access for rural and underserved populations by fostering the utilization of telemedicine technologies, telecommunications resources development, and direct funding for Telemedicine/eHealth networks expansion throughout California.

Barbara is a frequent speaker on the tangible benefits of eHealth as a key component of comprehensive healthcare delivery services, and has since 1997 provided comment to the legislature at both the State and National to encourage reimbursement for Telemedicine.  She has been working with key stakeholders toward expanding coverage of Telemedicine programs in California to now include reimbursement for Store and Forward programs.

A published author, Barb's most recent work is a chapter in the book, Telepsychiatry and e-Mental Health, published by the Royal Society of Medicine in January 2003. Finally, Barb is an active member of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), where she chaired the committee that developed the first Telehomecare clinical guidelines for the ATA. Barbara has also been an active member of the ATA membership and policy committees. In 2004 she also acted as a judge for the ATA poster contest. Barb has a Master of Nursing Science, Management & Leadership.