When a regional hospital in North Carolina lost its only pulmonologist, leadership faced a critical question: transfer more patients — or find a way to keep them in-house with high-acuity specialty care.
Their solution: partnering with Access TeleCare to bring 24/7 telePulmonology and Critical Care coverage into the ICU. What followed was a full transformation — not only in patient retention, but also in care quality, team confidence, and financial performance.
Within months, the hospital reduced transfers by 15 percent, retained 144 additional patients a year, and saw a 257 percent return on investment. Even more, nurses developed and enhanced their professional skills and competencies, thanks to direct collaboration with Access TeleCare intensivists.
By combining proactive rounds and real-time consults, the hospital created a new standard of care — keeping more complex patients, improving outcomes, and strengthening team capacity.
