<div class="gmail_quote"><br>
<div>Good Morning,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>We learned of Bob's death just before the TAO Summit. With the intense activity involved in getting ready for the Summit I didn't have time to reflect on the passing of one of telemedicine's real heroes. The wonderful tribute written by his friends at CTEL below outlines the accomplishments of a man whose passion for telehealth grew over time and whose efforts on behalf of telehealth will help define and direct policy for years to come. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>To have known and worked with Bob was to have learned tenacity and optimism even when the policy change you had spent so many months working on just got kicked back in your lap. His pursuit of the right thing for telemedicine even in the face of his own illness challenges us to honor his memory, not just with flowers, words or memorial gifts, but with renewed determination to make telehealth an integral part of our healthcare system. Let's keep his light burning.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Cathy Britain</div>
<div>
<div></div>
<div class="h5">
<div><br><br> </div>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">CTeL</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:lexy@ctel.org" target="_blank">lexy@ctel.org</a>></span><br>Date: Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 11:11 AM<br>
Subject: Robert Waters - Remembering a Telehealth Giant<br>To: <a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com" target="_blank">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br><br><br>
<div style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #57c5e0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0">
<table style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #57c5e0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="10" width="100%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" align="middle">
<table style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 0px; BORDER-TOP: #000000 0px; MARGIN-TOP: 10px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 0px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #000000 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffcc66 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dcf5f5; TEXT-ALIGN: right" align="middle">
<div style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #000000; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida; TEXT-DECORATION: none">Email not displaying correctly? <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #000000; LINE-HEIGHT: 200%; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida; TEXT-DECORATION: none" href="http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=2b1278f02d&e=67d7cebd36" target="_blank">View it in your browser.</a> </div>
</td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #333333 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<div style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 30px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida; TEXT-ALIGN: left">
<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><img style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px" height="489" alt="" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be/images/Waters_Bob.2.jpg" width="350" border="0"></div>
</div></td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: #333333 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 0px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff">
<div style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 30px; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida; TEXT-ALIGN: center"></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="20" width="600">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="BORDER-RIGHT: #ffffff 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; BORDER-TOP: #ffffff 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; FONT-SIZE: 12px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; BORDER-LEFT: #ffffff 0px; COLOR: #000000; LINE-HEIGHT: 150%; PADDING-TOP: 20px; BORDER-BOTTOM: #ffffff 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #f8fcfb" valign="top" align="left">
<span style="FONT-SIZE: 18px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif"><strong>Remembering a Telehealth Giant</strong></span></span><br>
<p><br><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">Dear Friends in the Telehealth Community:<br><br>On Wednesday, October 27, 2010 the field of Telehealth lost one of its most coveted leaders and a dear friend - Bob Waters. Bob’s job was not centered around telehealth and he didn’t have to spend time on it to make a living. However, telehealth was one of his passions. <br>
<br>His interest in telehealth came during his Congressional career following some healthcare issues for Senator Tom Harkin as his chief of staff. The Board of the Center for Telehealth and e-Health Law knows that Bob gave countless hours of his own time to help all of us–including those who were unprepared and unfamiliar with how to make changes happen–monitor, strategize, and address issues that were impacting telehealth at the state and federal levels.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">The current Medicare reimbursement language that we have today had its roots in the work of the Southern Governors Association in the late 1990s and Bob was there as the language was drafted. In September, 2000, Bob orchestrated a hearing of the House Commerce Committee so that many of us in the field could testify in front of Congress to voice our concerns that the Federal government’s reimbursement language was not working and we needed a change. Bob testified in front of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act’s Technical Advisory Committee in 2007 and 2008 to overturn their regulation that precluded the use of telehealth between two urban emergency rooms.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">In early 2010, Bob, who was already battling brain cancer, was at the table helping ATA, CTeL, the University of Virginia, and the University of California at Davis convince CMS that their current stance on credentialing and privileging was about to cripple telehealth. This was typical Bob. His passion for telehealth and doing the right thing rose above his illness, as he helped all of us deal with CMS on this issue. The good news is that we should see a positive change in the regulations from CMS on this issue in early 2011.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">Bob’s legislative experience was critical to helping us understand what was possible and how change could occur. He was eternally optimistic. When our energy would wane, he would push harder, always asking for more. Without Bob’s influence on the process and the influence he had on those who engaged in the process, the needle would never have moved. Without his influence, we would not have seen Federal telehealth reimbursement, or credentialing/privileging changes or many of the other telehealth advancements. The telehealth industry simply would not have moved forward as fast without Bob’s help.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">We may never experience another Bob Waters in Telehealth. A giant of a man, who found joy in helping us move the field of telehealth forward. A man whose passion to do the right thing by breaking down barriers has paved the way for telehealth, and in doing so has made a difference in this world for a countless number of patients who now have better access to care.</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">We hope you will join us and others in an effort to keep Bob’s enthusiasm for telehealth alive and well. He would certainly want us to carry on with the business of making telehealth a globally accepted way to deliver healthcare services to the underserved.</span> </span><br>
<br><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Sincerely,</span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px">Your friends at CTeL</span><br><br>For those wishing to share a few words about Bob and his service to telehealth, please visit <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #17488a; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://ctel.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=4c6b2b380d&e=67d7cebd36" target="_blank">CTeL's Website</a>.</span><br>
<br><br> </p>
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 12px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial gifts be made to: The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke (c/o Ellen P. Stainback, Box 3624 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710); The Iowa State University Foundation – Robert J. Waters Memorial Fund (2505 University Blvd., Ames, Iowa 50010); or St. Peter’s Episcopal Church (4250 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22207). For those of you wishing to send Bob’s family a note or card, please send them to Bob’s wife: Patty Beneke, 1604 Crestwood Lane, McLean VA 22101. Bob's family would like to invite all his coworkers, colleagues, and friends to attend a memorial reception to celebrate his life on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 with more details regarding the time and place to follow.</span></span></span><br>
<br> </p>
<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"><img height="96" alt="" src="http://gallery.mailchimp.com/76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be/images/CTeL_Logo.jpg" width="249" border="0"></span></span></p>
<p><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"> </span></span></p></td></tr>
<tr>
<td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 20px; BORDER-TOP: #ffffff 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 20px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 20px; PADDING-TOP: 20px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #5fcad9" valign="top" align="left">
<div style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; COLOR: #000000; LINE-HEIGHT: 100%; FONT-FAMILY: Lucida Sans,Lucida">
<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 11px"><span style="FONT-FAMILY: lucida sans unicode,lucida grande,sans-serif">WEB: <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="http://ctel.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=552a27fef7&e=67d7cebd36" target="_blank">WWW.CTEL.ORG</a> I EMAIL: <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: #000000; TEXT-DECORATION: underline" href="mailto:INFO@CTEL.ORG" target="_blank">INFO@CTEL.ORG</a> I 1500 K STREET NW, SUITE 1100,<br>
WASHINGTON, DC 20005 I MAIN: 202.230.5090 I FAX: 202.842.8465 </span></span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px"></span>
<center>
<table style="CLEAR: both; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px! important; BORDER-TOP: #999 1px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 0px! important; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px! important; MARGIN: 20px 0px 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px! important; BORDER-BOTTOM: #999 1px solid" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="95%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="PADDING-RIGHT: 10px! important; PADDING-LEFT: 10px! important; FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 11px! important; BACKGROUND: #ccc; PADDING-BOTTOM: 10px! important; MARGIN: 0px; VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle! important; WIDTH: 50%! important; COLOR: #666! important; PADDING-TOP: 10px! important; FONT-STYLE: normal! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial,Sans! important; TEXT-ALIGN: left! important; TEXT-DECORATION: none! important" align="left">
Sent to <a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com" target="_blank">csbritain@gmail.com</a>. <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 11px! important; COLOR: #03c! important; FONT-STYLE: normal! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial,Sans! important; TEXT-DECORATION: none! important" href="http://ctel.us1.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=a32f3496ea&e=67d7cebd36&c=2b1278f02d" target="_blank">Unsubscribe</a> | <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 11px! important; COLOR: #03c! important; FONT-STYLE: normal! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial,Sans! important; TEXT-DECORATION: none! important" href="http://ctel.us1.list-manage.com/profile?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=a32f3496ea&e=67d7cebd36" target="_blank">Update Profile</a> | <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal! important; FONT-SIZE: 11px! important; COLOR: #03c! important; FONT-STYLE: normal! important; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana,Arial,Sans! important; TEXT-DECORATION: none! important" href="http://us1.forward-to-friend.com/forward?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=2b1278f02d&e=67d7cebd36" target="_blank">Forward to a Friend</a> </td>
</tr></tbody></table></center><img height="1" src="http://ctel.us1.list-manage.com/track/open.php?u=76e9f78f4b948c3d2795cd8be&id=2b1278f02d&e=67d7cebd36" width="1"></div></div><br><br clear="all"><br></div></div><font color="#888888">-- <br>
Catherine S. Britain<br><a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com" target="_blank">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br>541-910-7366<br></font></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Catherine S. Britain<br><a href="mailto:csbritain@gmail.com">csbritain@gmail.com</a><br>
541-910-7366<br>