A new teleneurology program was introduced in June at MidState to provide real-time expert neurological assessment of patients by phone or in person. The program aims to deliver the right treatment to the right patients at the right time to all floors of the hospital, including the Emergency Department.
Hartford HealthCare partnered with Neurocall to provide the expert service on demand for the acute hospitals across the system. In 2016, the East Region saw 433 teleneurology consultations. Before bringing the teleneurology services to the Central Region, 160 MidState staff members were trained and conducted more than 20 practice sessions to identify critical workflows to ensure success.
MidState will have 12 physicians to provide neurological real-time assessments by phone or “virtually.” Before the implementation of teleneurology, the hospital had only four neurologists who were able to see patients for in-person care. All 12 physicians who will provide assessments are trained in the practice of teleneurology, board-certified in neurology and certified in the sub-specialty of vascular neurology.