Worcester-based University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Group awarded four of its physicians $200,000 for their telemedicine initiative aimed at increasing evaluations of individuals suspected of opioid overdose, Worcester Business Journal reports.
The program would allow physicians to communicate with emergency department patients through video on tablet devices. The program would mimic face-to-face physician evaluations of patients who may be experiencing a drug overdose. Massachusetts legislation requires all patients suspected of an opioid overdose undergo a medical evaluation, known as substance use disorder evaluation.
UMass plans to roll out the physicians' program, called TeleSUDE, over the next three months. The physicians received funding for TeleSUDE through the hospital's annual Prize for Academic Collaboration and Excellence competition, which awards UMass staff research projects.