Complex, high-acuity patient care that demands expertise from multiple specialists is nearly impossible for many hospitals due to the onerous logistical challenges involved and the specialist shortages plaguing wide areas of the U.S.
But Access TeleCare makes it simple.
When hospitals employ multiple Access TeleCare telemedicine programs, they gain timely access to specialty medicine experts who can manage complex care alongside onsite care teams in real time. Access TeleCare specialists communicate and co-manage care seamlessly within Access TeleCare’s intuitive telemedicine platform, without placing additional stress on onsite care teams to coordinate with specialists across multiple platforms and wrangle the ensuing logistical challenges.
“The flexibility that Access TeleCare’s programs offer is crucial for many of the complex cases we see,” said Pritam Ghosh, M.D., Access TeleCare chief medical officer. “When hospitals have access to two, three, four experts from different specialties, the breadth and depth of care they can provide increases dramatically.”
This level of seamless coordination happens within the hospital’s native EMR between specialists who are already fully integrated and familiar with the hospital’s workflows and processes. Synergies like this exponentially broaden the range of cases that hospitals can successfully treat and allow for a deeper level of highly complex care that hospitals can deliver locally.
Telemedicine Synergies in Action
In a recent case, a high-acuity patient in Texas required complex care coordinated between onsite providers and virtual Access TeleCare specialists. The obese patient, whose pre-existing conditions included diabetes, asthma, and hypertension, had been experiencing chest pain, nausea, and intractable vomiting. After undergoing a VATS decortication surgery recommended by the onsite care team, an air leak was discovered, but the surgeon was unable to locate the source.
Access TeleCare’s telePulmonary and teleInfectious Disease specialists quickly jumped into action. Within minutes, they coordinated care with the onsite teams and established a care plan that included the placement of a chest tube to drain the excess fluid and air from the patient’s lungs. At the same time, the infectious disease specialist created a plan for a series of antibiotics to prevent infection.
Within two days of receiving the chest tube, the air leak was resolved and the patient’s condition improved significantly, avoiding what would have been a painful and complicated transfer to a higher-level facility.
The onsite care team continued to receive guidance and support as both Access TeleCare specialists monitored the patient throughout their recovery, evaluating imaging and managing the patient’s medications in tandem with onsite providers. Thanks to the team’s rapid response and continued coordination, the patient was discharged only seven days after the surgery with a comprehensive follow-up care plan developed by the Access TeleCare specialists.
When onsite teams have efficient and timely access to multiple world-class specialists, complex patient care like this becomes possible, and through the power of telemedicine it can be delivered anywhere, anytime.
Contact us to see how deploying multiple telemedicine programs can transform complex and high-acuity care for your patients.
