InTouch Health 10th Annual Telehealth Innovation Forum Showcases Pioneering Applications for Telemedicine
SANTA BARBARA, CA—July 21, 2016—Strong partnerships between network technology companies and physician groups are helping hospitals respond faster and provide more specialized care to their patients through innovative telemedicine programs. That’s the story of InTouch Health, provider of a global, cloud-based telehealth network, and Eagle Telemedicine, a team of powerhouse physicians who pioneered the practice of telemedicine.
A sponsor of the InTouch Health 10th Annual Telehealth Innovation Forum in Santa Barbara, CA, July 20-22, Eagle physicians will be on hand at the conference to discuss new applications for telemedicine made possible through the InTouch/Eagle partnership. The applications include tele-ICU, teleneurology and telepsychology—of particular benefit to small, rural hospitals where specialists are scarce—and telenocturnist care, a solution to the night shift staffing issues so many hospitals struggle with today.
InTouch Health’s telehealth network supports more than 200,000 annual physician encounters in healthcare centers across the country, and is growing at a rate of one hospital per day. More than 125 major health systems use InTouch to offer programs for acute and post-acute care.
For companies like Eagle Telemedicine, InTouch is a partner that is helping expand its reach across the U.S., from major metropolitan hospitals to small facilities in remote rural locations. “We are particularly proud of our telemedicine initiative and the valuable support it provides to hospitals in terms of quick access to care, increased patient satisfaction, dramatic cost savings, and virtually unlimited growth potential,” said Talbot “Mac” McCormick, MD,President and Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Telemedicine.
Tele-specialties a benefit for rural hospitals
Eagle Telemedicine has devoted more than eight years to perfecting its telemedicine models of care and adapting them to changing needs. Using InTouch’s “always on” network for remote patient monitoring, Eagle has also seen particular success in providing speciality services, like teleneurology, to rural hospitals, enabling patients can stay in their hometown hospital and avoid transfer to distant metropolitan facilities to get the care they need.
“For stroke patients in particular, InTouch Health’s RAPID neuroimaging technology provides our physicians with the information they need to make quick, accurate diagnoses of stroke and other acute neurological conditions, no matter where the patient is located,” said Dr. McCormick. “The saying is ‘time is brain,’ and teleneurology is ideal for bringing expert care quickly to patients when every second counts.”
Night coverage solutions a new area of telemedicine growth
“Nocturnists often have to be in two places at once in busy hospitals: handling admissions, rounding on patients in the ED, and providing cross-coverage consultations to patients on the floor,” said McCormick.“Stress and burnout can run rampant. It’s the reason we’re seeing widespread interest from mid-size and large hospitals in our telenight programs to support their night coverage teams.”
With Telecross-Coverage, Eagle physicians take the burden of floor calls and consultations off the noctunists, and are available to help with ED admissions during peak periods. “We’re excited about this relatively new application for telemedicine in the hospital setting,” Dr. McCormick said. “Not only does it relieve stress for physicians on staff, it also is a cost-effective alternative to hiring temporary staff to fill night-shift or weekend coverage gaps. Those staffing gaps are a growing problem for hospitals with today’s physician shortage, and we have a solution for it.”