Telemedicine Carries Memorial’s Stroke Expertise to Rural Areas
A new telestroke program at Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) in Savannah is providing life-saving stroke assistance in rural regions of Georgia. Utilizing real-time audio and video conferencing, neurologists at MUMC can assess a patient and communicate treatment plans with doctors in regions that do not have a neurologist available.
The telestroke platform was developed in collaboration with Georgia Partnership for TeleHealth, Inc. (GPT) and Second Opinion Telemedicine Solutions. Memorial University Medical Center is the first partner in the GPT network to use the program. Currently, MUMC is working with Jeff Davis Hospital in Hazlehurst and Bacon County Hospital in Alma.
“Access to telemedicine services is especially important in stroke because time lost is brain lost,” said Joel Greenberg, M.D., co-medical director of Memorial Stroke and one of the developers of the telestroke platform. “Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) require immediate attention and stroke expertise; services rarely offered in smaller community hospitals. Through the use of audio and video, telestroke essentially adds a neurologist to the rapid response teams of underserved regions, providing better stroke care for the local community.”
According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.and the primary cause of adult disability. Approximately 795,000 strokes occur in the U.S.each year, resulting in medical and disability costs of almost $74 billion annually.
