Minneapolis-based Allina Health and Hayward (Wis.) Area Memorial Hospital launched a telemedicine program geared toward expanding virtual neurology care, Sawyer County Record reports.
The program, which rolled out April 26, allows Hayward Area Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital, to connect with an Allina Health stroke neurologist using videoconferencing technology. Physicians and patients at HAMH can use a computer monitor and remote-controlled camera to communicate with the Allina Health provider. Neurologists will also be able to view the patient's CT scan and assess the individual's condition in real-time through the video technology.
"Our partnership with Allina [Health] will ensure that we have 24/7 coverage by a stroke neurologist," HAMH Emergency Room Medical Director Dayle Quigley, MD, told Sawyer County Record. "We may be a small hospital, but this technology will allow us to practice state-of-the-art medicine."
Allina Health comprises 12 hospitals and more than 90 clinics.