UR Medicine Expands Telestroke, Remote Neuro Care in NY

UR Medicine has begun offering telestroke and hospital-based neurological care to additional locations in upstate New York. UR Medicine has expanded its telestroke program and remote acute and inpatient neurological care services in upstate New York, according to a recent announcement.

According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), 47.39 per 100,000 deaths in the US in 2019 were related to neurological conditions.

Telestroke programs and remote patient monitoring are some of the ways healthcare providers are battling these prevalent conditions. Although these programs have been around for many years, UR Medicine announced plans to extend the offering of these services to further hospitals earlier this month, the goal being that all patients within the hospital system can access this program. Researchers also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a higher need for virtual services related to treatment for stroke and other neurological conditions.

Although UR Medicine created the telestroke care program years ago, it experienced sharp growth in 2018 and 2019 amid a collaboration with the Bassett Healthcare Network.

Containing a group of stroke specialists available to patients and providers 24/7, this resource allows UR Medicine neurologists to give care recommendations using brain imaging and other data. The telestroke program also provides insight into whether the patient should turn to Strong Memorial Hospital for advanced care rather than remain at their original site.

At the start of the telestroke collaboration, Bassett and UR Medicine began providing remote inpatient care for other neurological conditions. Researchers noted that although there was not a high level of evidence supporting this care model, they felt relatively confident that its outcomes in treating other neurological disorders could be similar to those of the telestroke program.

Researchers also noted that this effort allows patients to receive care without having to travel far from home.

“We've been able to minimize inter-facility transfers for stroke to the point where we are now only transferring about 15 percent of cases to Rochester.  In the past that number was closer to 50 percent,” Adam Kelly, MD, director of Teleneurology and Regional Development for the Department of Neurology, said in the announcement. 

“It’s come down to the point where we only transfer people if there's a very high likelihood that they need something that we can only provide Strong Memorial, like a neurosurgical procedure or access to the Neuromedicine ICU,” Kelly continued.

The network of hospitals using telestroke services is continuing to grow, as Jones Memorial, St. James, and Noyes Memorial joined the system earlier this month. Kelley also noted that hospital staff and patients willingly accept the program.

Building on the successes of telestroke programs like the one at UR Medicine, other providers have also tapped into remote patient monitoring and telehealth capabilities to treat strokes and other neurological conditions.

In February, UVA began working with community healthcare organizations and emergency medical services agencies to increase access to telestroke care through Central Virginia.

Through this partnership, ambulances gained access to the UVA Health iTREAT mobile telemedicine system, which allowed paramedics to inform stroke neurologists and emergency medicine physicians of patients that may be having a stroke.