A sophisticated bedside robot allows physicians to examine patients remotely from a laptop
As part of a Bon Secours Health System initiative to improve health outcomes for nursing care residents and ultimately reduce hospital re-admissions, Bon Secours Maryview Nursing Care Center announced today the launch of their telemedicine program.
In a 2009 – 20011 Massachusetts study, researchers with Harvard Medical School and Dartmouth Institutes for Health Policy and Clinical Practice showed that nursing care facilities using telemedicine had enhanced access to physician evaluations and reduced hospitalization rates when compared to facilities not using telemedicine. The nursing care facility is evaluating the technology and its adoption to potentially replicate results similar to the study.
“Telemedicine is being used throughout the Bon Secours Health System as we look at ways to incorporate new technologies into our care models. Our goals are to enhance access to care, reduce the cost of providing high quality care and ultimately improve our community’s health outcomes,” says Stacy Guzik, administrator, Bon Secours Nursing Care Center. “We believe this technology has a place in the long-term care setting.”
The telemedicine unit is a portable web-based communication system that is rolled into a resident’s room. A physician can see the resident through the monitor, zoom in on a specific area and receive information such as temperature and blood pressure. In addition, the resident can view and talk with the physician.
“By deploying this technology, I anticipate having better access to residents between my regular rounds,” says Nihar Bhowmik, M.D., medical director and internist with Bhowmik Medical Practice in Portsmouth, Va. “We know when residents have treatment sooner, we can often avoid more complex therapies and avoid some admissions to the hospital. Not only does preventing hospital admissions reduce the overall cost of providing care, residents prefer having care in the comfort of their home setting.”
Bon Secours Maryview Nursing Care Center is the first skilled nursing care facility in the Bon Secours Health System to pilot the telemedicine program. Best practices from beta testing will be shared system-wide.
