Guthrie Enhances Stroke Care Delivery Through Telemedicine

RESTON, Va., Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SOC Telemed (SOC) recognizes Guthrie, a not-for-profit health system serving southern New York and north-central Pennsylvania, for outstanding results in its teleStroke program. Guthrie improved its critical measures endorsed by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, which are the percentages of eligible patients receiving thrombolytics and those receiving it within 60 minutes of arrival to the emergency room. 

The Guthrie health system rolled out the SOC Telemed solution for emergent stroke care at its flagship  Robert Packer Hospital (RPH), and the program was an immediate success. The support from SOC Telemed led to a decrease in transfers and dramatic increase in thrombolytic administrations, and RPH gained accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission. Additionally, the solution provided relief for emergent stroke care across the entire health system.

Guthrie RPH serves as the hub hospital in a hub-and-spoke model. With teleNeurology care, stroke expertise is provided at the point of care for emergent stroke, without requiring neurologists or patients to travel. Without teleNeurology, Guthrie RPH could not consistently deliver timely consultations on thrombolytic administration.

"One of the main reasons we began working with SOC Telemed was to improve the administration of Alteplase in the ED," says Allison Caccia, Registered Nurse at Guthrie RPH. "We needed to have providers on call who could respond promptly, as time is of the essence with stroke care."

Guthrie RPH saw its thrombolytic administration rate increase from 17% in 2016 to 51% in 2019. The recommended door-to-needle administration time within 60 minutes of arrival to the emergency room improved from a rate of 33% in 2014 to 79% in 2019.

"Guthrie RPH and the entire Guthrie health system are responsible for the well-being of millions, and their adoption of the SOC Telemed solution should provide a playbook to other major health systems in time-sensitive environments," says Dr. Jason Hallock, Chief Medical Officer of SOC Telemed. 

In addition to naming the project a clinical success, Guthrie points out that the teleNeurology program pays for itself, with a 98% return based on the incremental increase in stroke volume and thrombolytic administrations on patients seen by RPH.

For more information about Guthrie and SOC Telemed, visit SOCTelemed.com/resources.

About Guthrie
Guthrie is a not-for-profit, integrated health care system with five hospitals throughout southern New York and North Central Pennsylvania, complemented by 32 regional clinic centers, a research center, numerous fellowships and residencies. Guthrie's integrated health care system is designed to offer patients a full spectrum of health services incorporating primary care, complex specialty care, behavioral health services, surgical services, inpatient care, durable medical equipment services, home health, long-term care, palliative care and hospice care. For more information visit www.guthrie.org

About SOC Telemed
SOC Telemed (SOC) is the largest national provider of telemedicine technology and solutions to hospitals, health systems, post-acute providers, physician networks, and value-based care organizations. Built on proven and scalable infrastructure as an enterprise-wide solution, SOC's technology platform, Telemed IQ, rapidly deploys and seamlessly optimizes telemedicine programs across the continuum of care. SOC provides a supportive and dedicated partner presence, virtually delivering patient care through teleNeurology, telePsychiatry and teleICU, as well as enabling healthcare organizations to build sustainable telemedicine programs in any clinical specialty. SOC enables organizations to enrich their care models and touch more lives by supplying healthcare teams with industry-leading solutions that drive improved clinical care, patient outcomes, and organizational health. SOC was the first provider of acute clinical telemedicine services to earn The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval and has maintained that accreditation every year since inception. For more information, visit www.soctelemed.com.

Media Contact:
Lauren Shankman
Trevelino/Keller
(404) 214.0722 Ext. 121
[email protected] 

SOURCE SOC Telemed

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