Closing the Neurologist Gap With Telemedicine
With too few local neurologists to cover an increasing number of emergent stroke calls, Hendrick Health turned to Access TeleCare to consolidate and expand its teleNeurology services across three hospital campuses and multiple freestanding EDs.
“Because every second counts, and time is brain, a quality stroke program needs dedicated 24/7 emergent stroke call coverage,” said Craig Hunnicutt, director of regional services at Hendrick Health. “The telemedicine robot was mobile and was moved to the patient’s bedside for consultation,” Hunnicutt explained. “In most cases, the consulting neurologist could then take control of the high-resolution camera on the robot from his or her desktop computer or smartphone – zooming in on the patient’s face and eyes as they performed their assessment.”
Seamless Technology Integration
Using Access TeleCare’s Telemed IQ platform, Hendrick clinicians place emergent consult requests using Access TeleCare’s Telemed IQ platform. Those requests are instantly routed to the on-call Access TeleCare teleNeurologist, who appears on the cart within minutes.
“The teleNeurologist works within Hendrick Health’s electronic health record and picture archiving and communication system to access patient medical information, document, and review imaging,” he added. “Through advanced camera technology, the tele-provider is able to manipulate the camera to assess the patient and deliver a meaningful patient and family experience.”
This smooth integration eliminates delays and keeps the bedside team focused on patient care. Nursing staff assist with the NIH Stroke Scale, while teleNeurologists guide the team through treatment decisions, including IV thrombolytics or endovascular thrombectomy.
Measurable Results With Telemedicine
The impact has been dramatic:
- TeleNeurology consult volume has increased 600% over 5 years
- Call-to-screen times have been cut to under 7.5 minutes, half the national benchmark.
- Door-to-needle times regularly hit under 45 minutes, with recent cases as low as 34 minutes.
- Transfers out of the system have dropped, keeping patients closer to home and preserving local hospital revenue.
“For quality metrics, Access TeleCare has become a vital part of the stroke care team,” said Martee Tebow, RN, stroke program manager at Hendrick Health. “Together, we’ve built processes that get patients treated faster and improve outcomes for patients and their families.”
