Emergency Care - Telemedicine at the Bedside

Telemedicine at the Bedside

Telemedicine — sometimes also referred to as “telehealth” — allows physicians to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients at bedside using telecommunications technology. Telemedicine is widely accepted and is now used daily in countries around the world. In fact, over half of all U.S. hospitals now use some form of telemedicine. For more information on telemedicine, visit the American Telemedicine Association.

Although the terms “telemedicine” and “telehealth” may be used interchangeably around the web, they are not the same. Telehealth refers to using a wide range of technologies and services to provide patient care and improve the healthcare delivery system as a whole. Telemedicine has a more narrow focus and only involves the remote delivery of healthcare services without an in-person visit using telecommunications technology.

Benefits of telemedicine

In rural communities, telemedicine allows hospitals and other healthcare organizations to tap into the expertise of qualified physicians miles away, ensuring that distance is no barrier to exceptional patient care.

Telemedicine allows both Tanner’s patients and hospitals to enjoy some or all of the following benefits:

Bedside or in-office access to specialists
Faster consultations
Improved quality of care
In-room privacy
Shorter hospital stays

Telemedicine at Tanner

At Tanner, telemedicine is changing the way patients experience health care. The innovative platform enables physicians to provide patients with a continuum of care and clinical services virtually anywhere.

Patients benefit by having convenient access to medical specialists through a real-time video connection over secure, Internet-connected devices. The virtual program allows clinicians to safely, confidentially and securely conduct consultations and discuss exam results, recovery plans, treatment options and even electronically prescribe medications — all from miles away.

Tanner’s medical staff consists of more than 300 physicians representing 34 medical specialties — but with telemedicine, patients in the region also benefit from an even larger team of medical experts from across the country.

Telemedicine allows people in crisis to receive a behavioral health assessment faster, stroke patients to be evaluated by a qualified neurologist at any time, someone with diabetes to engage with experts who can prescribe an intervention before hospitalization is necessary and more.

The technology platforms are secure, innovative and more closely connect patients with qualified medical providers — and their own health.

How we use telemedicine at Tanner

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH - Virtual access to therapy and behavioral health services

Behavioral health specialists — including psychiatrists and therapists — can offer confidential screening and consultative services and follow-up appointments in real-time through live video using the telemedicine program.

NEUROLOGY - Virtual stroke therapy and rehabilitation services

Through the telemedicine program and with a nurse’s assistance, experts in neurological care can virtually monitor, examine and assess a stroke patient and order a course of lifesaving treatment.

CONSULTATIONS AND SPECIALIST REFERRALS - Convenient online appointments with a clinical specialist

Through real-time videoconferencing tools, healthcare providers can refer patients to medical specialists, conduct virtual consultations and schedule on-line appointments to discuss diagnostic exam results and even electronically prescribe medication.

DIABETES - Virtual expert support to help manage diabetes

Clinical specialists can track and monitor a patient’s medical information — such as blood glucose levels, medication prescriptions and dosage, medical history and medical appointments — and intervene before a problem arises that could necessitate an emergency department visit or hospitalization.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT - Virtual clinical support and access to tools and resources

Patients have convenient access to weight management tools and resources they need to effectively manage their weight, receiving support from clinical specialists, nutrition experts and health and lifestyle coaches.

PULMONOLOGY - Convenient access to pulmonary medicine specialists

Expert physicians can provide pulmonary rehabilitation services, review diagnostic exam results, X-rays and CT scans virtually and safely over video-connected devices.

TELE-ICU - A virtual physician at your bedside, at the push of a button

Clinical specialist utilize sophisticated telecommunication technology to diagnose routine illness and provide urgent care services to critically ill patients